Customer Reviews

Post-Scriptum

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Post-Scriptum" gives us an almost literary depth and passion to what might seem on the front-side a delicate collection of mere Portuguese ballads. I am glad to have found this CD.

This is best listened to in summer-time, with open windows so that Branco's beautiful serenedical voice wafts out toward your neighbors. You might've heard on her on NPR, but the CD's crisp-clean freshness does what radio cannot do, and that is to bring the artist into your living room.

Delightful, and yet there is a sobriety in her voice. Romantic -- she might be the woman you fell in love with years ago, and all you have now is her songs charming you in your head. Fans of Pablo Neruda's or Victor Hugo's love poetry might find "Post-Scriptum" a fine choice.

My personal favorite is "Preludio." There is some which reminds me of Django Reinhardt in the guitar.

I regret I know no Portuguese, and for those who do know the language, I expect the CD to be that much more valuable.

I fully recommend "Post-Scriptum" by Cristina Branco.

Anthony Trendl

This is by far my favorite CD.Branco has a golden voice which soars, dips and weaves its magic throughout every track.Do I know Portuguese? No! Do I need to? Not with this talented singer and the wonderful guitars that accompany her as they speak an international language that can be understood by all.As you stroll through these intricate songs you will feel as if you have been transported to the streets of the mystical land that is Portugal.Buy this CD and I promise you will not be disappointed!

I am not a fado connoiseur, nor a wold-music junkie. But I truly love this CD. Cristina's voice is expressive and moving. The guitar enhances the evocative feel of the lyrics. While the music is very emotional, I disagree with amazon's characterization of "overwrought."

What I really appreciate is the minimalist quality the music has. The songs are really rather simple, stunning only by Cristina's presentation. A fabulous contrast to the overproduction many female vocalists offer.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in exploration of latin music who is looking for something romantic and sophisticated. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

This is my first exposure to the beauty of Cristina Branco's art -- hopefully, it won't be my last. I've read that she has other cds available. This recording is exceptional, both in its clarity and the artists' performances. Cristina's voice soars or coos as necessary for expression -- even in the powerful passages, it's never harsh. The accompaniment is tasteful and masterfully played, and the arrangements are never over-done. Every song on this cd is a gem. Highly recommended, even to those who do not consider themselves afficianados of world music.

It is unfortunate that such a gifted singer as Cristina Branco ends up compared to Amalia Rodrigues, or that her singing style is reduced to a category--fado. In fact, since the 80s, a number of new singers have appeared in Portugal who, while not repudiating the fado tradition, have done much to move it beyond the frozen state to which it had been reduced as Portugal's main official cultural export during the Salazar dictatorship. Unlike many fado singers, these younger artists are far better trained, sometimes abroad (listen to Carlos do Carmo, their predecessor, and in a sense spiritual father), and they have all incorporated a much more open sensibility. Listen to Camane, for instance, and you'll find the male equivalent of Cristina Branco: a voice so pure it hurts at times. The first song on this record is beautiful, but the last one is bound to make any Portuguese person cry. That tired cultural saw--saudade--is never mentioned, but the song is suffused with it, and absence lingers in one's mind and under one's skin long after the last note of the piano acompaniment has died out.

Cristina Branco's earthy and emotional vocalization will transport you to another place far, far away and deep inside your own soul. Close your eyes; imagine yourself pedaling an old bike down the back streets of Lisbon on a hot afternoon; stretch out on the white beaches and connect with the heart of a woman whose language you don't speak, whose country you do not know. Indeed, Branco transcends language, culture and gender and touches you. She is not faint, delicate or obvious-- the music is poetic, romatic, emotional and inspired. You will enjoy Post-Scriptum, you will come back to Fado.

I, too, heard Cristina Branco for the first time on NPR and I knew I had to have that CD. Cristina Branco has a voice like few others I have ever heard. Even if you couldn't understand the lyrics, just listening to the passion in her voice is enough to keep you playing the CD over and over.

I happened to be in Lisbon shortly after Amalia Rodriques died in the Fall of 1999. I received a short course in Fado at that time. It was memorable. Needless to say upon my return home I bought & listened to a broad selection of Amalia's work. Now that she's gone I'm thankful for the talent of Christina Branco. Fado is a salve for the harshness of our lives. Very recently a young friend of mine was killed riding her bike home from work. I found this album was a welcome way for me to grieve. Such a treasure.

I'm not a Fado fan per se, but I usually have a gut reaction to music. So when I heard Cristina played during an NPR review of Post Scriptum, I instantly wanted the CD. I keep it on my CD player with "Love Loud" by Kiki Ebsen and "Angels and Cigarettes" by Eliza Carthy, and sometimes some Shawn Colvin. Cristina's voice is both technically skilled and deeply emotional. This is music to lose yourself in...the best!

I bought this cd mainly because the opening tune "ai vida" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and like a picture is worth a thousand words. The rest of the album while likeable, does not and probably cannot compare, so it is on this strength alone that I highly recommend C.B. on cd.