Fado: Exquisite Passion

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 2, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B0000BV20B
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,977 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. As Fontes

2. Ai Vida

3. Por Ti!

4. Com Que Voz

5. Mew Amor é Marinheiro

6. O Instante Dos Sentidos

7. Primavera

8. Meu Amor, Meu Amor (Meu Limão de Amargura)

9. Loucura

10. Talvez Se Chame Saudade

11. Post-Scriptum

12. Esta Voz Que Me Atravessa

13. Foi Deus

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy! Great compilation of Fado, September 7, 2003

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fado: Exquisite Passion (Audio CD)

I fell in love with Fado the first time I heard Mariza sing on a collection of folk music. This album "Exquisite Passion" is really wonderful.

It features new Fadistas like Cristina Branco and Mariza and the greatest Fadista of all time, Amalia Rodrigues. The only problem is that the opening cuts are all fantastic, but when you get to the fourth track by Rodrigues, it is SO good, that it throws the newcomers in a bit of a shadow. I realize the dilemma they had when compiling this cd: use a mediocre track of Rodrigues and have people say "Why does she have such a reputation?" or go with this one, which will wring tears from your eyes even if you don't know a word of Portuguese.

Be that as it may, all the fadistas on this album are marvelous singers, the guitar backup is beautiful and if you never heard fado before, then by all means give this a try.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Fadistas, June 17, 2004

By 

Estrelinha - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fado: Exquisite Passion (Audio CD)

Unfortunately I have to disagree with the previous reviewer - Com Que Voz did not seem to me the best song of the disk; I don't question the greatness of Amalia, but the songs chosen for this compilation are not her best (I may be biased, but frankly speaking Amalia's manner does not appeal to me - it is too belligerent). Nor does she throw the newcomers in any kind of shadow. The jazzy Mafalda Arnauth, the temperamental Mariza and the sweet Cristina Branco are all admirable and by no means shadowed by Amalia.

My favourite is Mafalda Arnauth, with her velvety mezzo-soprano gently flowing from the lower notes to the higher ones; her voice never becomes sharp, unlike the voices of the other three Fadistas here. She's the most lyrical of the four. Mafalda's fados are a bit on the jazzy side, and "Talvez Se Chame Saudade" became almost a bossa nova.

Mariza, a Mozambique-born young fadista, somewhat reminds me of Brazilian singer Elis Regina. Mariza has a fantastic timbre of voice. Now defiant, now seductive and whispery, now ironic, she is certainly a person of immense charm, I think I'd like to see her live performance someday.

Cristina Branco's songs, especially Ai Vida and Meu Amor Meu Amor, are deeply heartfelt and very sensual (however, songs like Meu Amor E Marinheiro are not my cup of tea at all). To those who like Cristina I would recommend her album Sensus ( this disk is really something... ahhh!! I hope to review it later, and the only thing I'll say now is that it embraces much more styles than Fado...)

The only thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars to this disk is the fact that I'm not a great fado lover... but fado, like any musical style, can have different faces, and speaking for myself I prefer the more romantic ones.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FADO IS FATE, PASSION, NOSTALGIA ...ETC., November 3, 2006

By 

Valentina Grant "NOSTALGIA" (BRAMPTON, ONT CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fado: Exquisite Passion (Audio CD)

I am enjoying this CD tremendously as it takes me back to my childhood when my father used to contract fado singers to special functions at his restaurant/club in Portugal. Fado is art as not every singer can sing it. It takes a special voice and you must feel passion for what or whom you are singing about to be able to project it to the audience, so they can feel it too. If you have been to the Portugal, especially continental Portugal where Fado originated, and got to know the portuguese people, you will understand the Fado a little better.
This is a very good CD with different Fado singing styles. It is more enjoyable when listened to in the quite of the evening.