Some months ago, I witnessed a quite stunning performance by a beautiful young Portugese lady on Jools Holland’s TV show, ‘Later‘. Her name is Mariza and her music is traditional Fado, which translates musically into emotion, expression, acoustic guitar, heart and soul. Well, that’s certainly what it looked and sounded like to me. I made a note to find her latest record to review, and here it is.

I should explain first that the album released in the UK has a bonus CD of live renditions from the Womad World Music Festival, and so bang-for-buck this is wonderful value - especially if you, like me, are awestruck with the talent and artistry of Mariza. It’s also time to put away the ‘rule books’ and especially the rule that says you have to understand the lyrics sung. I can promise you that while you probably won’t understand a word, it really doesn’t matter (the sleeve notes thoughtfully provide full English translation of the lyrics). This music speaks many languages and particularly through Mariza’s manner of interpretation, beautiful musical arrangements, supreme melodies and seductive guitar playing.

The first song is Loucoura (Madness) which rather appropriately proclaims, “I was made for song (Fado), How do I know I live a poem sung, From a ballad I wrote. To speak of it, I cannot do, But let my soul sing out, and souls know how to hear me.” And that’s exactly what happens here and throughout this glorious album. Mariza’s vocal expression and quality backed by traditional acoustic guitar take you over - completely, utterly. With a majestic a natural vibrato, Mariza seduces with her total musicality and mastery of her art in a way that leaves one dazed and amazed. The supreme example comes with the epic and intensely beautiful O Gente Da Minha Terra (People Of My Land) where she seems to sing almost without accompaniment and moves me like few artists have done in recent years. The song is so strong in drama and melody that one is left gasping for more. The lyrics are equally powerful; “Whenever we hear a lament, Or a guitar playing, We are soon filled, With a longing to weep…”

This album offers a menu of diverse pace and mood with a voice of supreme quality and emotion. In fact it seems to me that Mariza learnt to sing before she could talk; so natural, fluent and authorative are the performances.

For me, FADO EM MIM, is the first great album of 2003 and one that has remained in my CD player for several weeks and shows no sign of being dislodeged. Put simply, Mariza is one of the world’s shining musical stars and I can’t wait to see her perform live. Essential.

5/5