Mariza
Fado Curvo (World Connection)

A great singer will knock you sideways whether you understand the words or not.  And judging by the rapturous responses of British audiences, Portuguese fado singer Mariza qualifies magnificently - the sheer force of her luminous voice and exquisitely lifting acoustic music carrying all before them.  Yet fado - a kind of cafe blues, derived from fishermen's laments - is really sung poetry.  Its lyricists are revered as great artists, and on this beautifully crafted second album, Mariza has had the pick of the country's wordsmiths.  Her imperious cadences swoop down on the listener, positively imploring that we hear her words.

If you're not feeling precisely in tune with her trademark tone of ecstatic regret, listen again with the lyric booklet in hand and whole worlds come to life.  Caravelas takes us on a melancholy beachside stroll, while on Retrato, the singer tries to imprint a departing lover's features on her mind.

Graced by elegantly modern touches such as the haunting trumpet on Deserto, and imbued with a grown-up sensuality, Fado Curvo provides words and melodies that match the incandescent beauty of Mariza's voice.

Mark Hudson