[.ca] Encantamento

From Amazon.com:
Singer Mafalda Arnauth is another enchanting princess to follow in the footsteps of fado queen Amália Rodrigues. Not as deep and operatic as Mariza, or as wistfully sensual as Cristina Branco, Arnauth's rich passionate voice falls somewhere in-between the two. Making her U.S. debut with Encantamento, her third album overall, Arnauth gracefully works through traditional material ably supported by José Elmiro Nunes on Portuguese guitar, Luis Oliveira on classical guitar and João Penedo on upright bass. She steps outside the fado tradition of using poetry for lyrics to write nine of the 15 songs, mostly in collaboration with Oliveira. Some of the originals are in the strict fado tradition of fate and tragedy, while others deviate into other thematic territory, and "Fado Arnauth" even has some interesting folk accents and a pop music sensibility. Arnauth also produces Encantamento, leaving no doubt that this fadista is a true keeper of the flame, and a singer who'll bring the music deep into the 21st century. --Tad Hendrickson

This woman can sing!:
I picked this up after a short listen and I'm very glad I did. I don't know much about fado, but this woman can SING! Sexy, strong, rich and passionate. Couldn't be better. I plan to buy all of her music I can get my hands on.

Smoother than smooth:
In sore need of a good fado fix, I picked this CD up at a bookstore yesterday after listening to a grand total of 30 seconds of it at the listening booth. Since then, it has practically melted into my CD player on a permanent basis. Mafalda Arnauth is a "Repeat"-button puncher's wet-dream. "Encantamento", her U.S. debut, is so incredibly rich and smooth and vibrant and warm that you'll be left pining for more of it for weeks. Her singing is somewhat mellower and more expressive than the famous "queens" of fado, Amália Rodrigues and Cristina Branco. It even kind of reminded me of Christina Aguilera, especially tracks like "O voz da minh'alma" (which is a song to die for, by the way). The picture of her on the cover says it all. Coffee-brown hair. Sexy, inviting posture. Luscious Portuguese smile. How could you pass up a disc like this? So whip out a smooth bottle of port. Stretch out on your couch. Cuddle for a few hours with that special someone. And bask in liquid saudade. Five stars.

Deeper than the sea...:
This woman's eyes are deeper than the sea, and so is her music. Her voice is very strong and powerful, and yet very mellow compared to many other singers of Fado - Amalia Rodrigues, Dulce Pontes, Misia... These ladies even sound belligerent... but Mafalda is extremely feminine. Her voice slides gently over the soft waves of guitars, and her sensuality wins your heart from the very first note. My favourite tracks are "Eu Venho", written by Mafalda herself (she sings: "I came from the force of tide..." - there really is something of a mermaid in her:) and "O Voz Da Minh'Alma", a duet with another absolutely amazing singer, Monica Ferraz. I love Portugal, I love Lisbon, I love the sea... and all the beauty of this lovely country is present in Mafalda's voice. A real gem.

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