SARA TAVARES
Balance (Times Square)

Sara Tavares is a super-talented songwriter, singer and guitarist. She sounds Brasilian with that deft samba touch, but is the child of second-generation Cape Verdean immigrants in Portugal. She won TV talent shows when she was 16, covering gospel and soul songs, but has been working on her African roots for the past five years and has come up with her third album, a successful blend of various musical styles. It's beautifully produced and recorded with subtle instrumentation. Overall it may put you to sleep, but I found it so well articulated I could actually follow the Portuguese lyrics, which are included (with English translation) in the booklet. On scrutiny it turns out she sings in a mixture of crioulo, Portuguese and English -- a patois spoken by expats in Lisbon. It's an intriguing album because Tavares overdubs light percussion herself, so you know she has a clear sense of what she wants it to sound like. The other musicians, on acoustic guitar, drums, accordion, keep things from getting too languid. The final cut "De Nua" features guest vocalist Ana Moura: there is only simple drumming backing this (played by Ms Tavares), the most African-sounding piece, and it demonstrates that she really can do it, unadorned. Balancê is currently the most-downloaded album on iTunes' Portuguese site. I recommend you check out the title track and, if that appeals to you, go for more