Balancê

Sara Tavares

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 21, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Times Square Records
• ASIN: B000E6ESSU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,178 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Music > World Music > Europe > Continental Europe > Portugal
  #25 in	Music > World Music > Africa

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

First there was Cesaria Evora, Then Lura, and now, the Portuguese/Cape Verdean singer/composer/guitarist Sara Tavares. The title of this CD (pronounced bal-on-SAY) refers to the equilibrium necessary for balancing her mixed, Crioulo culture that stretches from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Blessed with an angelic voice, and a knack for writing accessible compositions that are global, yet ancestral, Tavares is closer to Les Nubians than to Evora, as the title track makes clear. She's more about adapting her homeland's musical conceptions to include Angolan sembe Afrobeats on "Poka Terra," with rapper Melo D, reggae, and Cape Verdean coladeira rhythms on "Planeta Sukri," co-starring vocalist Boy Ge Mendes. Fadista Ana Moura helps Tavares tell her soulful story on "De Nua." With this heartfelt, autobiographical work, Sara Tavares emerges as a new dark and lovely diva for this decade. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in the balance, October 12, 2006

By	James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully light, breezy album that will sweep you away to warm summer days. Sara Tavares recalls her native homeland, Cabo Verde, with references to Lisboa and other places, in a wonderful collection of songs. Hers is quite a different voice from that of the great Cesaria Evora. It is young, vibrant and guides the listener in a new direction away from the mornas that Evora was so famous for. Tavares is one of several young Cabo Verdean singers, but to me she is the most promising, as her music has a very international feel to it, a confluence of African and European rhythms that at times seem Caribbean in flavor. She has been traveling all over the place and has a great personal website, so check her out! You will be hearing a lot more from her.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sara Tavares making Beautiful Music, January 8, 2007

By	Ruth A. Barrows (Van Nuys, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

1st I'd like to say I wish to God I would have purchased Sara's Mi Ma Bo CD when I had the chance, I'm sorry I didn't. I've been on-line trying to find it everywhere; I might have to buy it used somewhere. In the mean-time I have finally purchased this CD and I'm glad I did before it's discontinued; also I have gone on-line and read some interesting things about Sara and her music.

I had my boyfriend listened to this CD and we enjoyed it together, it's very beautiful, he was very impressed on how talented she is with her acoustics guitar. My 18 year old daughter heard me listening to this CD another day and thought Sara had a nice voice. Sara's songs are beautiful mixtures of languages, English, Portuguese, Cape Verdean-Cioulo and African. The songs sounded so very romantic, intimate and relaxed, very feminine with a combination style of rhythmic jazzy, ballad and African, very lovely. Balance, Bom Feeling, Lisboa Kuya, One Love, Dam Bo, Muna Xeia and last but not least De Nua are my favorite songs but I LOVE the whole CD and can listen to it over & over again.

As a 2nd generation Cape Verdean born out of her native country, she's very in tune with her Cape Verdean heritage & culture and it shows through her music even though she was not raised by her parents but by an older Portuguese woman. One day I hope to see Sara in concert. Good Luck Sara Tavares, continue to grow with your musical talent.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious joyous and warm enfolding beauty!, March 1, 2007

By	Karina Montgomery "manyhats" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cape Verde gives us a great gift in Sara Tavares! I saw a video without sound on an airplane for Balance - I was trying to guess the tempo or the style of music, but I got caught up in watching the dancers. Then I listened to a sample online, and was sold! After I bought this album, I listened to it 7 times in a row that first day. It is lush and varied and her voice is delicate and strong. The complex rhythms and instrumentations, the gorgeous Portugese language, and the general buoyancy of this record are addictive. I listen to it at least once a day and I have had now for about a month. Support this artist and buy her work, don't download!