Cape Verde music reviews

This is the most amazing latin music compilation I have ever heard. Not only it includes the most important musicians of the region, but presents the musica negra in Latin America fully. The songs create an amazing mood. The liner notes provide a fascinating account and are very well written too. This cd is a must to have for anyone interested in the genre.

Coragem Cezaria.! Mostra mund kma bo ta pode kel.

Amilcar Evor

This is an absolutely fantastic CD. I bought this album after purchasing "Carmelina" by Toto La Momposina. I don't know if I can relate it that much to cumbia, however, or at least the cumbia that people have come to define with the Klezmer-like brass, the gypsy-jazz sweeps of the clarinet and the booming bass drums. (If that is what you're looking for, I recommend "The Rough Guide to Cumbia"). But "Pacanto" is still a wonderful album that explores the roots of cumbia and its coastal origins, providing the listener with a rich collection of native Colombian rhythms and those of its own. Amazon.com did a good job here of selecting samples that really give you a taste of the CD's content.

This is not just the best Latin-American disc of the year but is the best of any genre. The fusion of Latin rhythms and African instruments and African rhythms and Latin instruments will blow you away! There is great depth here. I have lent this disc to several friends and all have come back to me amazed at the quality as all went in with low expectations. "La cumbia esta herida" is outstanding, "La Ripla" is a rattling instrumental dominated by the great mix of the tambores and gaitas. "Acompanala" is a soft and beautiful number and the switch 4 minutes into the beguiling "Chambacu" is SURE to blow you away. Buy this disc and I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

ME DA GUSTO PODER ESCUCHAR MUSICA DEL PERU ES UNA GRAN SATISFACCION Y ORGULLO DE QUE DIFUNDAN ESTE TIPO DE MUSICA GRACIAS DE CORAZON

Teofilo Chantre hasn't yet become as famous as his compatriot Cesaria Evora... and I should say it's a crying shame he hasn't, because this album is a real treat, anyone who likes Cesaria Evora or good Brazilian music like Tom Jobim or Vinicius Cantuaria, or just beautiful and lyrical songs, is absolutely certain to love it. Teo is a singer-songwriter and arranger, he emigrated to France when he was very young, and his music is influenced by various musical styles from a lot of countries besides Cabo Verde - mainly Brazilian bossanova and Caribbean rhythms. I feel he's a real aesthete and intellectual - he has managed to create his very unique style, without any repetitiveness or "aping", his arrangements are sophisticated in the best sense of the word, and each song of this disk has its own particular flavour. Sina de Mamae-Terra, wistful and dreamy, has a touch of Portugal (it always reminds me of my trip to Portugal two years ago... when I was making a film about the trip, I even used this song in the fragment about Cabo da Roca - it goes perfectly well with rocks wrapped in mist and washed by foam), Livrona de Nha Pai is a lovely coladeira, Cruz de Jom d'Ebra is a morna � la Amandio Cabral, Tchoro Quemode has a Caribbean flavour... Sina de dos Alma and Ponta Linda are... just GEMS. And above all, Teo's sensual, velvety voice, his sincerity and his vulnerability, make this treasury of stylistic diversity and sofistication really stunning. This guy has personality, believe me. A must for all Cesaria Evora's fans!!!
P.S. In May 2004, new album by Teofilo is coming... I'm sure it will be as glorious as this one :)

I've had this disk for 2 years, and it's loveliness never fades.
The honest talent of the artists, and the optimism and humanity of their music continues to appeal, and make me happy, when so many other disks are forgotten.
How is it that one little windswept archipeligo, has produced so much music that has impressed the world? (Both here in Israel, and in Europe Cape Verdean music is often heard on mainstream radio!)
I only wish theat there were translations of the lyrics!

if you're a blues fan, a soulful late night lounge fan, or lucky for you, a fan of great african music....don't miss this! i bought it because i really love the senegal/gambia collection by rough guide... this region of africa is incredibly distinct, and the cape verde sound is unlike anything else. music so rich you can run your fingers through it. a definite must.

As a longtime lover of jazz, blues and western classical music I thought I was also pretty knowledgable about African and Middle Eastern music until I bought this book. This has introduced me to many artists and musics that I would not have looked at before. This is not just an amazing book to help you choose which albums to buy (and I have yet to seriously disagree with any of its recommendations)but it is also a wonderful general read about the history, background and politics of the music as well. Put this on your shelf and dip into it whenever you feel depressed about world politics - it will renew your faith in human creativity.

This is one of the best CD's I've heard of this type of music. The panpipe really is great. It makes you want to dance when you hear it.

Good music does not need to be complicated. Cesaria Evora's songs show us perfectly that an extraordinary voice and warm melodies are the ultimate formula for great chansons. At this stage of her career, Evora sits on the same mountain top with Edith Piaf. Very human, very sincere, very to-the-heart. Very nice, very nice, very nice...

With the first sounds of Cesaria's voice in the first track "Sodade" everything around disappeares and all you want is to stay in the beautiful melancholy of Cesaria's voice - banal but true. Cesaria Evora's voice is the best voice I have heard recently.