Washington Post, CD Review >>
Latin America's Little-Known Realm:
A World Away From the Familiar Roster of Superstars Is a Bevy of SingersWell Worth Discovering
By Fernando Gonzalez
[EXCERPT]
Mariza, 'Fado em Mim'
Fado: It's a Portuguese style of song usually compared to blues or the tango. It shares a certain melancholy tone and subject matter (frequently about loss and longing). And, like its counterparts in the United States orArgentina, it's rooted in the culture of the poor and disenfranchised. On"Fado em Mim," singer Mariza, who was born in Mozambique but grew up in an old neighborhood of Lisbon, walks a fine line by honoring tradition while updating it. She has a strong, dark, clear voice and a forceful delivery, passionate but almost unsentimental, that will inevitably lead to comparisons to the late fado diva Amalia Rodrigues. Not that Mariza exactly shies away from it: She offers two exquisite renditions of Rodrigues' "O Gente da Minha Terra" ("People of My Land"), one of which is a "hidden" track on the CD. Throughout, the accompaniment is sober and spare -- which smartly underscores the drama in the music and the singing. In no record this year has sorrow been presented with more grace and power. 06/02/02
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