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43043 |
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Saudade, that vague and persistent longing for something that cannot exist now but might have existed in the past or hopefully will exist in the future, is not just found in Portugal. All other Portuguese speaking countries participate in an almost inert state cherishing the unfulfilled desire - that is, when it comes to poetry and music. Besides this, normal life goes on as usual. Tété Alhinho is capable of giving the saudade of Cape Verde a beautiful voice. On most songs of this CD, her voice is accompanied solely by Mario Lucio's sparse but masterful guitar playing. The two anticipate each other's emotions and musical intensions in such a way that it almost seems they are one. Of course the sea and the distance it can create between lovers, parents and children is the main subject of the songs. In Armando de Pina's song "Mar é Morada Di Sodadi", the sea is the true home of saudade. Tété makes the song resemble the rolling of the waves on the shore while she sings. That capability of transporting the listener to other places with just a voice and a guitar is addictive. This CD should be played at a very low level so that it seems as though Tété Alhinho was just singing for you. Her warm full voice in the Cape Verdean language embraces the listener like a mother's. Personal tragedies and pain have not broken her and love and longing keep her going. Tété Alhinho communicates these feelings with subtlety and passion. The CD has 3 added bonus tracks and though these songs are not bad at all, they break the intimate atmosphere the previous eleven song built up so beautifully. Keep the remote at hand of you don't want to chase off the spell. Overall CD quality is good. The recording level is quite low as it should for such intimate music, though a little less close-miking would have further benefited the overall naturalness. |
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