Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this will become a classic...it defies description, July 1, 2000
I discovered this CD by chance while leaving Portugal in the airport. I asked the store attendant to recommend to me something that captured and represented the best of Portuguese music at this moment. Without hesitation, the attendant gave me Antologia to listen to and I knew immediately that this was a treasure. The mixture of her high rich voice develops a real energy with the instruments...as if the best of classical and the best of modern have found a place together. Just when you think you have probably heard the most beautiful and moving song on the album, the next one is even more moving. Her voice is heavenly, as are the instruments, you can almost feel the weaving of the two. Most songs are incredibly romantic without being superfical or frivolous, others are melancholic without being melodramatic, but all are are inspired and inspiring. I want to buy and pass this on to my closest friends. It really defies catagorization. You really will not believe how beautiful it is. This is something you will want to listen to alone, with a companion, or with a small group of friends for background music to a warm conversation. People will wonder where you found this.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Lesser Paradise, January 2, 2005
Madredeus are one of the best bands to come out of Portugal and this compilation shows why. Teresa Salgueiro, the singer, has one of the most mesmerizing voices to ever grace planet Earth and it's just perfect as the lead for the mix of chamber music, portuguese traditional fado and hints of tango and electronica arranged and composed mainly by the group's mentor, Pedro Ayres Magalhães.
However, there are some serious omissions here. "A Sombra" (The Shadow - dedicated to the memory of António Variações - an outrageously talended portuguese popstar who makes Boy George, David Bowie and Klaus Nomi look like well behaved choir boys ) and "Maldito Dia Aziago" (Cursed Day) from the 1st album, "Os Dias da Madredeus" are some of the most moving things they have ever recorded. From their next, "Existir", it's simply amazing how "O Pomar Das laranjeiras" (Orange Grove) and "O Ladrão" (The Thief) were left out.
The reason behind this may be the fact that Madredeus gained international acclaim after their third album "Ainda" which was used as a soundtrack to "Lisbon Story" (a nice cinematic postcard of Lisbon but a lesser film) by the great director Wim Wenders. Most international fans only know them since then hence the choice of songs concentrates on their later material. There is however another notable absence here: "Os Dias São À Noite" (The Days Are At Night) from "O Paraíso" a truly hipnotic, mysterious track.
Another reason for their criteria could be the fact that they have reached the stage where they have perfected a formula and people buy it. Technically Teresa sings better than ever before and the music is very polished. Any international connoisseur, and any portuguese with good taste, will tell you that Madredeus' music has been lacking the soul and the truth it had in the 1st 3 albums. In spite of all this, "Antologia" is a reasonably good introduction to Madredeus and to Portuguese music for those who don't have a clue of what is going down there. Those in the know will tell you to check out their inspirations and sources. If you like Madredeus you will like: "Espelho Quebrado", Povo Que Lavas No Rio" (the version with Don Byas) and "Medo"by Amália Rodrigues, "Sonho Azul" by Né Ladeiras, "Argila de Luz" and "Dono da Noite" by Banda do Casaco, "À Chuva" by Mler Ife Dada, "Afinal" and "Roda" by Anamar, and "Canção do Mar" and Fado-Mãe" by Dulce Pontes. It will take a bit of digging, so to speak but it's worth it. This is just for starters. Enjoy.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond anything else, May 4, 2006
How can i start? In 1999 i was introduced to the portuguese music. The portuguese language as we speak in Brazil is a little bit different from the original, as spoken in Portugal. For us, the original portuguese is distant, exotic, noble, almost alien. And the portuguese music, the "Fado", as opposite to our generical brazilian festive music, is often sad, and loaded with sentiment, with songs that talk about love lost to the ocean, about what might have beens, about old glory. It is a fascinating genre by itself, and the eventual bystander can even look curious, find it interesting and then walk his own path unchanged.
BUT..wait until you hear MADREDEUS.
You can?t. no one can hear their songs and even BE the same person again. It?s beyond Fado. This is why music itself was created/discovered. Their melodies and THE VOICE can rescue you long lost soul from the depths oh Hades. It can turn rock into gold. It is like opening your eyes for the first time. The song "Haja o que houver" can rescue true love from scratch. And you do want to make the world a better, nobler, gentler place. This is not rushed, artificially patched together music, this is the real thing, everything that any epic or intimate song aspires to be, as big as the ocean, as calm as the universe, as gentle as a kiss and as heart pounding as the first time you fall in love.
Now, ask me if i like MADREDEUS. :)
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