Customer Reviews

Neruda

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

To begin: I highly recommend this album. But if you haven't heard it, here's what I recommend you do: after you buy it, but before you put it into your c.d. player, look at the liner notes; read the English translations of the Pablo Neruda poems; then read them out loud; then imagine how you might put these to music, if it were up to you; then listen.

These poems are elegant, direct, sadly reflective of life in their breadth, tapping into an endless reservoir of longing and of love. They demand a similarly elegant, direct, quiet and clean treatment; and that's exactly what Luciana Souza gives them in her original compositions.

Luciana Souza has an incredibly pure alto voice that never strains or cracks, and sounds the same regardless of which register she sings in. I don't know what it is about Brazilian singers, and why they are so able to capture that kind of emotional sound more than their American counterparts (e.g., Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, anyone named Gilberto); but she does it here. And the instrumentation of piano and percussion (which Ms. Souza plays, everything from marimba to conga to snare) is perfect. Not too much, but not little.

Actually, the piano parts by Edward Simon (inspired by Federico Mompou) sound almost classical; I detected a bit of Grieg in "Loneliness", Satie in "Poetry", and Brahms in "Memory". This album is not for jazz purists; but if you like beautiful music that grows on you with each listen, regardless of genre, then this album is for you.

Ms. Souza was voted the #1 "Rising Star" in the 2004 Down Beat poll. She merits that; but on this evidence, she won't be a "rising star" for very long. As I said, highly recommended. RC

Some people seem to have an agenda here when it comes to knocking Luciana. All I can say is, she gets to me on an emotional level, and she has highly developed musical skills. Some singers just open their mouths and its magic; They are endowed with a remarkable instrument and get over by virtue of having this great sound. With Luciana it is more than this. She seems to choose her material carefully, based on what moves her, not on what someone thinks will sell. She also clearly works hard at her craft. There is not enough of this in her field today. How many singers do you know that can play percussion and sing in 7/4 at the same time? Go see her at Joe's Pub if you doubt me. . .but get tickets soon, she sells the place out. You will not hear one note out of place and she will get you, too.

Absolutely stunning, wonderful album IMO. I'm not always crazy about LS, but this one is a perfect balance between her voice,
Edward Simon's incisive piano and the magical words by Neruda-- even in translation. Only comparison to Norah Jones I see is that
there's an emphasis on quiet-- but NERUDA is at a whole different,better level I think. One of the great 'art song jazz' albums-- and I also like the incorporation of a few Mompou
melodies-- just the right nostalgic, 'simplified' Chopin touch.
So far in '04, my favorite album of the year in any genre.

It does seem that some people have a negative agenda because Souza chose to work with the poetry of Neruda. I own about 25 or so books of Neruda's poetry, so I don't have to say anything about what I think of his work, but it seems the "purist English geeks" have an issue with this production... My best guess -- from reading Neruda's memoirs and other stories about him -- is that Pablo would love it... as I do.
And if you've never heard Neruda's work, Luciana Souza's interpretations are heavenly. Well work every penny!

I have to start out saying that the other reviews of this CD on the whole are unobjective. The good ones are blindly glowing and the bad ones are vitriol.
Here's a few facts. Souza is a fabulous singer. This is based on SOME of her previous cds and a mesmerizing live performance with Danilo Perez. In my experience Neruda, and most Spanish poetry, does not translate well into English. I received a book of his poetry and found it very bland. I checked with Spanish speakers and they confirmed translation problems. This is a music review however, not literature.
Now for the my review. I like it. The use of few instruments on each song and yet a variety of instruments throughout the cd make it enjoyable and interesting. Many of the other reviewers compared it to Holiday, Vaughn, Acuna and other great jazz/latin singers. I don't think this is a competition and if it was this cd would not be entered in that category. This is not a huge record. It is stripped down, almost stark. If I had to compare it to the performances of other singers I would go for Laura Nyro performing solo or Joni Mitchell.
I am glad to hear something like this because Souza is trying to make an artistic statment, not money. While it has it's failings, for me, it is ultimately more enjoyable than the predictable output of high dollar artists.
Listen to this for what it is, good music of no sepcific target genre. It won't take your breath away, but it will sneak up on you from time to time and make you think or sigh. Give an objective listen.

This recording shows the ongoing development of this extraordinary artist. Ms. Souza's passion for poetry (which was earlier explored in the 2000 recording "Poems of Elizabeth Bishop and Other Songs") is uniquely portrayed through original music along with smatterings of compositions of the classical composer Frederico Mompou. This album is far more like "art song" than jazz and gorgeous at that. Edward Simon's piano accompaniment lends just the right vibe to the music and Ms. Souza's arrangements match Neruda's poetry to a "T." "House" and "Sonnet 99" and "Sonnet 49" are particularly beautiful. By the way, Ms. Souza overdubs percussion on this CD, but I've seen her sing and play percussion live in concert (without the use of overdubs, of course) and she can swing like mad!

Listening to this album is like watching a ballerina walking a tight rope: the voice so pure, the poems so enchanting and yet intimate induce a state of suspended grace you wish would never end.. whilst the thrill of the dangerous crossing keeps you on needles ....
You will become addicted to the beauty and the risk.

The review directly below mine (by Andrew Shepherd) is NOT an informed one: he literally hasn't heard Souza's new CD, and says so. What he has heard is NPR's Tavis Smiley Show, aired on March 3, 2004. As part of a brief interview segment, Souza sang a few bars from her setting of Pablo Neruda's Sonnet 49, with extemporized percussion. (Afterwards, Smiley played a brief clip of said track from this CD.)

I am amazed that anyone would have the gall to "review" an entire CD based on 45 seconds of airtime! (The CD wasn't released until a month after the interview was aired.) This is unfair to Souza -- as a composer, performer and translator -- and to the other musicians who participated in this recording session.

Souza's a fine singer. Please give her -- and her compositions --a chance. You might want to start with one of her best recordings, "Brazilian Duos," and move on to this one. I can't recommend "Duos" highly enough -- this CD is a long-awaited sequel, as Souza has been performing these songs for several years.

Note: I had to choose a rating for this CD, which wasn't my choice. I haven't heard it yet, either, but suspect it will deserve at least 4 stars, based on Souza's previous work. What Shepherd probably doesn't know is that Souza is an award-winning singer. (Her "Brazilian Duos" and "North and South" were both nominated for vocal jazz Grammy awards.)

If you are not familiar with Pablo Neruda poetry this album will send you to the books section for a book of his poems.
If you don't know who Federico Monpou is this album will have you search for a recording of his "Song and Dances" masterpiece.
If you don't know who Luciana Souza is this album will introduce you to a great singer/musician/composer.
All the poems in the CD, with the music of Mompou and Souza translate into songs that tell stories of beauty and love.
Finally the pianist Ed Simon shines all over

Among so many vocalists today, Ms. Souza stands out for a multitude of reasons. From her beautiful and mature voice, to her outstanding choice of material for each one of her records, she stands head and shoulders above those artists which jazz writers and critics tend to write about endlessly for whatever reason.

Reinterpreting the work of Neruda, such a popular and visible poet had all the makings of a train wreck. But she pulls off the feat brilliantly, using her own compositions and the music of Federico Monpou to support Neruda words. Ed Simon's piano playing is great, and on two occasions on the record, Souza accompanies herself with jawdropping authority on udu and kalimba. This record is accessible as it is complex. I recommend it highly.

On Neruda, Lucuiana raises the bar for all those who wish to consider themselves jazz vocalists, or any derivation thereof. She's a musician and an artist with a complete command of the language of beauty.