Personnel includes: Cesaria Evora (vocals); Armando Tito (guitar, background vocals); Luis Ramos (guitar); Bau (10- & 12-string guitars, violin, cavaquinho); Osvaldo Dias "Vaiss" (12-string guitar, whistle, background vocals); Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho); Vincent Segal (cello); Gerard Mendes (whistle); Pierre Gosseze (clarinet, flute); Luis Morais (clarinet); Jacques Bolognesi (accordion); Camille Soprane (soprano saxophone); James Carter (tenor saxophone); Paulino Vieira (piano, 6- & 12-string guitars, bass, cavaquinho, background vocals); Nando Andrade, Chico Serra (piano); Ze Paris (acoustic bass); Fabrice Thompson (percussion).
Principally recorded at Studios Davout, Studios Harry Son & Studios Gimmick, Paris, France. Includes liner notes by Anastasia Tsioulcas.
CABO VERDE was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
Personnel: Gerard Mendes (whistling, background vocals); Paulino Vieira (guitar, 12-string guitar, cavaquinho, piano, 6-string bass, 12-string bass, background vocals); Armando Tito (guitar, background vocals); Luis Ramos (guitar); Bau (10-string guitar, 12-string guitar, cavaquinho, violin); Toy Vieira (cavaquinho, background vocals); Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho); Vincent Segal (cello); Jacques Bolognesi (accordion); Luis Morais, Louis Morais (clarinet); Camille Soprane (soprano saxophone); James Carter (tenor saxophone); Chico Serra, Nando Andrade, Alain Jean-Marie (piano); Z‚ Paris (bass guitar); Silvano Michelino, Fabrice Thompson (percussion); Gisele ?, Escabes ?, Awa, Te¢filo Chantre, Valerie , Lura (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Herv‚ Marignac; Didier Le Marchand; Jose "Zezum" DaSilva; Michael O'Reilly; Paulino Vieira; Beck.
Liner Note Author: Anastasia Tsioulcas.
Recording information: Bastille A Paris; Lisbonne; Paris, France; Studio 2000, Dakar, Senegal; Studio Gimmick, Paris, France; Studio Namusch, Lisbon, Portugal; Studio Namush; Studios Davout, Paris, France; Studios Harry Son, Paris, France; Sudio Bastille, Paris, France.
Photographer: Denis Rouvre.
Arranger: Paulino Vieira.
Sure, Cesaria Evora has been the music press' world-music poster girl since her self-titled 1995 American debut, but this time, you've got to believe the hype. Evora is the undisputed queen of morna, the "Cape Verdean blues," and on CABO VERDE she continues to display her mastery of the musical tradition she grew up with.
Though the album is littered with themes of loss, longing and regret, the arrangements create a lilting, uplifting contrast to the sadness and desperation of the lyrics, which are sung in Portuguese. There's not much percussion to speak of, but the syncopated acoustic guitar rhythms and lively violin riffs keep the mood upbeat even in the most disconsolate songs. Throughout, Evora's rich, warm vocals are full of emotion, but always tastefully understated.
Professional Reviews
Spin (7/97, pp.117-118) - 7 (out of 10) - "...CABO VERDE is such a superlative display of Evora's skills precisely because it isn't so slow and anguished....CABO VERDE is the session that finally carries Evora beyond her home territory, throwing a party that evokes sorrow even while purging it."
Q (1/01, p.138) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Magically voiced Cape Verde singer...in the studio in 1997..."
JazzTimes (6/97, p.101) - "...Evora conveys qualities of exquisite melancholy and emotional resiliency that easily translate across cultures....the music is mostly rooted in the traditional musical values of the small West African island of Evora's heritage."
