Portugal - Fado And Fadistas

Fadista, it seems, isn't just a term for female singers of Portuguese fado music; it crosses gender. And that's why this compilation contains singers of both sexes, although few of them are known outside their homeland, even among the younger generation that dominates the first disc of this double-CD set. Artists like Maria Ana Bobone, Carolina Tavares, and Miguel Capucho are certainly all worthy enough, but they haven't broken through in the manner of some of their other young colleagues. On the evidence here, it's perhaps understandable. Good as they are, they lack a certain individuality and a way of putting their own stamp on a song. They sing songs, rather than inhabit them. Contrast that with the remarkable Amália Rodrigues, still the queen of fado even after her death, and the difference is obvious. Listen to "Ai Mouraria," for example, or "Sardinheiras," and you have singing that's absolutely luminous. In her own way, Rodrigues also expanded the boundaries of the fado form, which some of the newer performers appear reluctant to do. Overall, this makes for an interesting snapshot, but even in terms of fado compilations, there are better pictures available. ~ Chris Nickson|