Cesaria

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

Notes: CESARIA EVORA was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. CESARIA was originally released in 1995 on Nonesuch as CESARIA EVORA. Personnel includes: Cesaria Evora (vocals); Paulino Vieira (6- & 12-string guitars, harmonica, piano, bass, cavaquinbo, percussion, background vocals); Armando Tito (6-string guitar, background vocals); Osvaldo Dias (12-string guitar, background vocals); Bau (violin); Pierre Gosseze (clarinet); Raoul Barbosa (accordion); Toy Vieira (cavaquinbo, background vocals). Recorded at Madeline, Bastille, Music Ange, and Harry Son Studios, Paris, France in 1994. On this self-titled album, her first for Nonesuch, the Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora delivers another batch of 12 strong songs. She is accompanied on this record by various guitarists and percussionists, with the occasional violin and accordion thrown into the mix. This added instrumentation supports Evora's singing (the undisputed focus of the record) marvelously. As usual, her phrasing is exquisite, her voice rising and falling like the tide, caressing the contours of the simple melodies. The charm of Evora's singing is that she sounds like someone's grandmother, singing to herself as she goes about her day's chores. It is this hominess that makes her so endearing, so magically restful. And with lyrics such as "you must work hard/so that tomorrow/you're not in need," the grandmother connection becomes even more obvious. This recording was overseen by Paulino Vieira in Paris, and, in addition to achieving a remarkably distinct sound, he also contributes exquisite guitar and bass (as well as other instruments). There are similarities between Cesaria Evora's music and other traditions: the buoyant rhythms are sometimes reminiscent of Cuban and South American musical styles, her vocal glissandos and bends are almost bluesy, and there are even shades of Mediterranean folk music evident in the contours of the melodies. However, the end result is something wholly unlike anything else. This is a very pleasant album, full of interesting sounds and seductive rhythms, and surely of interest to world music fans. ~ Daniel Gioffre

Q (12/96, pp.126-131) - "...bolstered by comparisons to Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday, she has lost none of the warmth and tenderness or taste for folksy material with a wistful, Mediterranean feel....will bring a lump to the dryest throat." Down Beat (11/95, p.72) - 4.5 Stars - Very Good - Excellent - "...Evora, the queen of morna, bears comparison with Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf, her warm, dusky contralto brimming with melancholy nostalgia as she croons the Creole poetry of Cape Verde's finest composers..." Dirty Linen (2-3/96, p.77) - "...Evora's voice is rich and mellow, and sometimes even dreamy...The styles range from the uptempo...to the quiet...But throughout, Evora sings in a way that evokes both power and vulnerability, often both in the same breath." New York Times (Publisher) (1/6/96, p.C16) - Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums of `95 - "Somewhere on the spectrum between Sade and Billie Holiday sits Ms. Evora..."

Cape Verdean songstress Cesaria Evora is a bit of a musical late bloomer; she released her first album of morna music (a combination of West African and Brazilian styles) in 1992 at age 47 and, four years later, became an international sensation. Her vocals have drawn comparisons to Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday, while her down-to-earth "Barefoot Diva" personality has won her respect the world over. From 1995 to 2003, Evora recorded numerous albums, including the acclaimed CAF� ATLANTICO and SAO VICENTE, and she shows no signs of slowing down.

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