One of the most promising Portuguese vocalists to emerge in years,
Carminho
is joined by an all-star group of musicians on her debut album,
Fado
, a collection of sparely performed fados sung with remarkable grace and majesty. Well worth the wait,
was a long time coming. The daughter of fadista
Teresa Siqueira
,
first made a name for herself six years earlier with
Saudades do Fado: Tertulia de Fado Tradicional
(2003), an album by guitarist
Luis Penedo
on which she was featured as a vocalist. In subsequent years, she won the Premio Amalia Revelacao award and appeared in the
Carlos Saura
film
Fados
(2007). It was just a matter of time before she made her full-length solo debut with
, released when
was only 25 years old. Her youth is notable, because on
, she comes across like a seasoned fadista, singing with passion, power, and poise. In addition to her spectacular vocals,
boasts an impressive list of featured musicians accompanying the young singer. The producer of the album,
Diogo Clemente
, plays guitar on all 14 songs, and he's joined by bassist
Marino de Freitas
on all except one.
Bernardo Couto
Jose Manuel Neto
Ricardo Rocha
, and
Angelo Freire
contribute additional guitar. All the music is acoustic, and it's sparely arranged, generally featuring
with the backing of
Clemente
de Freitas
, and one of the other guitarists. The traditional fado style may not change from song to song, but the material does, including fados penned by 11 different songwriters.
is credited with two songs (
"Palavras Dadas,"
"Nunca e Silencio Vao"
), and
is credited with three (
"A Voz,"
"Carta a Lisboa,"
"Carta a Leslie Burke"
). Practically every song is excellent, in particular the first couple,
"Escrevi o Teu Nome No Vento"
and
"A Bia da Mouraria."
~ Jason Birchmeier