Mar Azul

Performer: Césaria Évora
Engineer: Bruno Quinquet
Producer: Jose Da Silva
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Cesaria Evora & The Mindel Band: Cesaria Evoria (vocals); Voginha (guitar); Bau (cavaquinho); Humberto (piano); Tey (percussion). Additional personnel: Ramiro Mendes (acoustic 6- & 12-string guitars); Paulinho Vieira (harmonica, piano); Luis Morais (clarinet); Morgadinho (trumpet); Toy Vieira (piano). Principally recorded at Studio Michel Ange, Paris, France in 1991. From Cesaria Evora's opening wail on Mar Azul's title track, one knows that this disc, a short set comprised of only eight songs, is going to be something special. This is the album that won Evora the praise of Paris, and was released prior to her international hit, Miss Perfumado. These are classic mornas at their most haunting -- all the songs are devastating, slow-burning, and stellar. The subject matter is about love, loss, and the heartbreak of life in Cape Verde. The music is acoustic, with guitars, sweeping pianos, and the occasional horn or violin to augment the effect. The liner notes set up the image of Evora ("Cize," as she is known to those close to her) as she prepares to sing in a smoky Cape Verdean nightclub. The overlying feel of this album is that of a dark and intimate seaside bar, under a starry sky, featuring a beloved singer who woos the audience with her dreamy, mesmerizing voice. Highlights include the haunting "Mar Azul," the elegantly moody "Cabo Verde," the album's two upbeat tracks, "Estanhadinha" and "Cinturao Tem Mele," and its heartbreaking finale, "Separacao." This truly original and understated album burns with the underlying ferocity of an emotional roller coaster, and introduced to the world the mornas of Cape Verde and their most famous interpreter, Cesaria Evora. ~ Jose Promis One happy consequence following the current popularity of the Cabo Verdean singer Cesaria Evora is the domestic release of her first Paris-based sessions. Last year saw MISS PERFUMADO and now we have MAR AZUL, originally recorded in 1991. Evora sings in Portuguese and while there are some surface similarites with her Brazilian cousins across the sea, most notably the soulful Maria Bethania, her style remains firmly ensconced within the fado-derived song forms of her native Cabo Verde. However, much like the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's Nuevo Tango, MAR AZUL updates the sound of this sultry, endlessly flowing music with keen production values and a charming use of harmonica, clarinet and trumpet as counterpoint to Evora's dignified, always-truthful singing. All of Evora's currently available albums are worth owning. But for any curious listener unfamiliar with this great world singer, MAR AZUL is a great place to start.

Rolling Stone (8/5/99, p.67) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...one of several albums from which Evora...has acquired her glittering international reputation..." Entertainment Weekly (3/12/99, p.70) - "...a package of mellifluous Portuguese songs representing the romance of her native Sao Vicente. Evora's gift for conveying vulnerablity across language and culture is astonishing. Like Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday, she evokes thoughts of hearts won and lost." - Rating A- Dirty Linen (8-9/99, p.68) - "...glitters with gorgeous and evocative songs of longing and regret....places [Evora's] rich pipes over more traditional acoustic instrumentation..."

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