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CD Review, by Marke Andrews
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Vancouver Sun, CD Review, by Marke Andrews >>
A voice for the ages soars into our consciousness
CD REVIEW: Sara Tavares is a wonderful talent who has been a star in Portugal since her teens - and I'm hearing her for the first time?
- by Marke Andrews
SARA TAVARES
"Balance"
-Times Square Records/Fusion 3
****
After one listen to Balance, I went online to read more about singer-songwriter Sara Tavares. She's the 27-year-old daughter of Cape Verde expatriates living in Lisbon. She won two talent prestigious talent shows at the age of 16, and has become a young icon of the Afro-Portuguese community.
The real shock was learning that Balance, for which the singer wrote or co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs, is Tavares's third CD. This wonderful talent has been a star in Portugal since her teens, and I'm only hearing her for the first time now? Beat me with a stick.
The disc opens with the title track, a beautiful, bobbing melody over which Tavares's voice soars like a bird. That soaring spirit, coupled with lively arrangements, permeate all the tracks, with Tavares accompanying herself on acoustic guitar and percussion and surrounding herself with crack studio musicians.
Certain tracks stand out, like Lisboa Kuya, with a haunting melody that stays with you; Poka Terra, a duet with hip-hop artist Melo D, which contains the lyric "An alligator that sleeps will be turned into an ator bag", the throbbing rhythms of Amor E, a part-vocal, part spoken-word duet with percussionist Miroca Paris; and Dam Bo, which builds and builds with each verse.
Tavares has a voice for the ages, an exquisite instrument that she uses to great effect on ballads and up-tempo numbers alike. She appears tonight, 8 p.m., at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre. 06/29/06
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