Customer Reviews

Café Atlantico

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How could I give anything but the stars to this magnificent woman ? Evora's singing is a true gift to mankind, luckily appreciated by many around the globe. From the first violin sounds of the opener, this CD is all soul - which means all Cesaria. There are moments for dancing as well as moments for contemplating - all done with the perfect Cesaria taste. I love the musicians who support Cesaria on this CD - they are completely in tune with her and add to the overall success of the music.

This is highly recommended as one of Cesaria's best CD's - to any person on this earth.

I feel so privileged to have seen Cesaria Evora in concert, Luanda, 1998. In a natural, unassuming way, her magical presence dominates both audience and stage. This album is an ambitious musical experience, where traditional cape-verdean and afro-cuban melodies and rhythms are successfully blended. Cesaria's "velvety" voice is backed up by an "all star" group, featuring an original instrumental combination which includes a lute player, outstanding string and percussion sections. Beijo de longe is one of the most exciting tunes. I cannot stop listening... Muito obrigada, criola, pela sodade da sua musica.

This lady my friends, has natural talent with the ability to project that happy feeling and share it with the listener...from the first to the last, a variety of rhythms surrounded by a group of versatile musicians.

A native of the island national of Cape Verde, Evora is known as the countries foremost practitioner of the morna style, which is strongly associated with the islands of combines West African percussion with Portuguese fados, Brazilian modhinas and British sea-chanteys.

Evora began singing morna at age 16...in the late '60s had two albums released in the Netherlands and Portugal...having recorded some 15 albums, Cesaria comes up with one of her best performances in "CAFE ATLANTICO", which goes back to her roots or Portugal...let's look at the opener "THE DREAM OF MY HOPE", is simply terrific..."SWEET LITTLE COW, LOVE OF THE WORLD", change of pace..."ATLANTIC PARADISE", takes on a whole new direction giving the listener of being there, which is a plus revealing her tone, mood and style.

Let's look at the highlights ~ "SAO VICENTE CARNIVAL", is simply haunting from the get-go, when Cesaria sings and then joined by the band, it is mesmerizing and leaves you wanting more, hoping the dream never ends...must mention the old standard "MARIA ELENA", recorded by many musicians/artists, brings back memories with this wonderful arrangement and performance by Cesaria.

An inimitable smoky sound of the reigning "Queen of World Music"...in praise of her hometown Mindelo, on the tiny Cape Verde Island of Sao Vincente...there you see the safest harbor between South America and Africa, "The Barefoot Diva", has distilled centuries of cross-cultural music into the solid joyous ache that sings her love to the world...unforgettable album will linger while others fade...CESARIA EVORA...we feel love through your music!

Total Time: 58:21 on 14 Tracks ~ RCA Victor 65401 ~ (1999)

My friend Sam (a Sade-Enya-Swing Out Sister fan supreme) recently said, "You only need one Cesaria Evora CD, they all sound alike." I heartily disagree, and think that the differences between each become more apparent the more you listen to each of her marvelous CDs. She isn't "trying out styles" like an American pop star, she always sings with the voice she was given, in a style which compliments that voice perfectly. No gimmicks, no production tricks, no clever publicity to broaden her audience. Her songs are all informed by her background in and ongoing love for Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), and she is fortunate enough to record music by some of Cabo Verde's greatest songwriters (especially Gregorio Goncalves and Manuel de Novas). Her rich, sad, wise, sometimes world-weary voice is well suited to express her "saudades" (a yearning and nostalgia which cannot be put into words) for her homeland. Cabo Verde is a poor and heavily-deforested group of islands, so the sorrow in her music is also a nostalgia for a place and time long since passed. Her lovely, melancholy mornas ("Flor di nha esperanca," "Paraiso di Atlantico," and "Desilusao dum amdjer" [tracks 1, 4, and 7 respectively]) perfectly express her nostalgia for past, family, friends and the isolation of a place like Cabo Verde. The coladeras, on the other hand, are lively and vibrant, including "Vaquinha mansa," "Carnaval de Sao Vicente," and "Terezinha" [tracks 2, 6, and 14]). Jim Reeves fans will recognize her lovely version of "Maria Elena," sung in Spanish. The rest of the CD is in a Portuguese "colonial" dialect, but that only makes the music sound more exotic as it transports you to a completely different time and space. The best tracks are, in my opinion, the haunting "Paraiso di Atlantico," the Brasilian-flavoured "Carnaval de Sao Vicente," and the fun, whimsical "Terezinha." I'm not one of these people who would say, "If you only buy one Cesaria, buy this one"--I can't imagine my music collection without this CD, but I don't think one CD by her is sufficient! It is unfair to compare this CD with The Buena Vista Social Club simply because both are in a language other than English. Cesaria Evora is one of the greatest singers of our time, and this CD is a masterpiece.

Evora has a beautifully intense, direct vocal style and an ability to merge with rhythms both slow and fast. In Cafe Atlantico she sings a range of material from slow, lamenting love songs to samba-speed chants, all exciting and absorbing. The sequence and sound quality make this a thoroughly enjoyable compilation, leaving the listener wanting more.

Beautiful - you don't need to know what she is saying. One of those CDs that you can listen to forever. We have lost it twice now, and replaced it.

I discovered this gem of a woman whilst vacationing in France 1997.

I am of African heritage, and have no idea as to what the words of her music mean, BUT the music! She has this ability to transport me to another place.... I have never quite found another like her. I doubt I will.

fav Tracks? 1,6,&14 I have since updated my collection with ALL her Cds.

With a marvelous flavor of the 50's African Saudade and Latin Rhumbas, as well as her familiar Mornas, Cesaria has outdone herself again. The lovely Creole-Portuguese haunts our souls with saudade as always !

I had the pleasure recently of hearing Cesaria's rich, soul-tugging voice, for the first time, at a local tapas restuarant I frequent in Chicago, and I was mesmerized by the beauty of it. You know that feeling you get when the sheer power of a particular song gives you goosebumps, and brings all your emotions to the surface and you can't breathe? Her voice takes you there, you can feel it in the core of your soul...there's no other way to describe the feeling you get when you hear her sing. I'm waiting to exhale! Cafe Atlantico is the first CD I purchased and I plan on buying every CD she's made. The combination of the wonderful music with Cesaria's lush voice is absolutely amazing...I highly recommend it with a glass of merlot and a hot bubble bath!

Even if you don't understand a word of the language, the heart and soul in Cesaria Evora's singing comes through. This CD is my first exposure to her music, and I am completely spellbound. I hope I get to see her perform someday. I feel fortunate that this music is available to us now.