Track Listing

1. As Fontes - Mafalda Arnauth
2. Ai Vida - Cristina Branco
3. Por Ti! - Mariza
4. Com Que Voz - Am�lia Rodrigues
5. Mew Amor � Marinheiro - Cristina Branco
6. O Instante Dos Sentidos - Mafalda Arnauth
7. Primavera - Am�lia Rodrigues
8. Meu Amor, Meu Amor (Meu Lim�o de Amargura) - Cristina Branco
9. Loucura - Mariza
10. Talvez Se Chame Saudade - Mafalda Arnauth
11. Post-Scriptum - Cristina Branco
12. Esta Voz Que Me Atravessa - Mafalda Arnauth
13. Foi Deus - Am�lia Rodrigues

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34976 in Music
• Brand: Exquisite
• Released on: 2003-09-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Portuguese fado ("fate") is one of the world's most attractive-sounding exhalations of romance-gone-wrong, pessimism, and resignation. Usually sung by mysterious, black-clad ladies wrapped in lacey shawls and accompanied by mellow plucked strings, it originated along the Lisbon waterfront. While its bitter lyrics and stark fatalism have much in common with the blues and Argentinean tango, it most closely resembles related Lusophone styles such as Cape Verdean Morna and Brazilian choro. In fact, fans of Cesaria Evora who have been wondering what to try next will adore fado, as it also features lushly melancholy vocal histrionics and an all-acoustic back-up. The songs tend to be composed in minor keys, but the rhythms are gently marked; the women are balladeers, solitary after-hours troubadours. This compilation features some of the best fadistas in the business, from the late, great Amalia Rodrigues to newcomers like Cristina Branco, and all are captured in peak form. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews

Yummy! Great compilation of Fado
I fell in love with Fado the first time I heard Mariza sing on a collection of folk music. This album "Exquisite Passion" is really wonderful.

It features new Fadistas like Cristina Branco and Mariza and the greatest Fadista of all time, Amalia Rodrigues. The only problem is that the opening cuts are all fantastic, but when you get to the fourth track by Rodrigues, it is SO good, that it throws the newcomers in a bit of a shadow. I realize the dilemma they had when compiling this cd: use a mediocre track of Rodrigues and have people say "Why does she have such a reputation?" or go with this one, which will wring tears from your eyes even if you don't know a word of Portuguese.

Be that as it may, all the fadistas on this album are marvelous singers, the guitar backup is beautiful and if you never heard fado before, then by all means give this a try.

Lovely Fadistas
Unfortunately I have to disagree with the previous reviewer - Com Que Voz did not seem to me the best song of the disk; I don't question the greatness of Amalia, but the songs chosen for this compilation are not her best (I may be biased, but frankly speaking Amalia's manner does not appeal to me - it is too belligerent). Nor does she throw the newcomers in any kind of shadow. The jazzy Mafalda Arnauth, the temperamental Mariza and the sweet Cristina Branco are all admirable and by no means shadowed by Amalia.

My favourite is Mafalda Arnauth, with her velvety mezzo-soprano gently flowing from the lower notes to the higher ones; her voice never becomes sharp, unlike the voices of the other three Fadistas here. She's the most lyrical of the four. Mafalda's fados are a bit on the jazzy side, and "Talvez Se Chame Saudade" became almost a bossa nova.

Mariza, a Mozambique-born young fadista, somewhat reminds me of Brazilian singer Elis Regina. Mariza has a fantastic timbre of voice. Now defiant, now seductive and whispery, now ironic, she is certainly a person of immense charm, I think I'd like to see her live performance someday.

Cristina Branco's songs, especially Ai Vida and Meu Amor Meu Amor, are deeply heartfelt and very sensual (however, songs like Meu Amor E Marinheiro are not my cup of tea at all). To those who like Cristina I would recommend her album Sensus ( this disk is really something... ahhh!! I hope to review it later, and the only thing I'll say now is that it embraces much more styles than Fado...)

The only thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars to this disk is the fact that I'm not a great fado lover... but fado, like any musical style, can have different faces, and speaking for myself I prefer the more romantic ones.

FADO IS FATE, PASSION, NOSTALGIA ...ETC.
I am enjoying this CD tremendously as it takes me back to my childhood when my father used to contract fado singers to special functions at his restaurant/club in Portugal. Fado is art as not every singer can sing it. It takes a special voice and you must feel passion for what or whom you are singing about to be able to project it to the audience, so they can feel it too. If you have been to the Portugal, especially continental Portugal where Fado originated, and got to know the portuguese people, you will understand the Fado a little better.
This is a very good CD with different Fado singing styles. It is more enjoyable when listened to in the quite of the evening.