Cape Verde

Cape Verde

Similar in scope and tone to Putumayo's <I>Brasileiro</I> collection, <I>Cape Verde</I> presents the music of the islands just 300 miles off West Africa's Senegalese coast. Drawing from Portuguese and African influences, the music of Cape Verde is most often rooted in a sensually languid and rhythmically complex cousin of the blues called <I>morna</I>. Largely popularized on the international scene by the meteoric popularity of Cesaria Evora (who contributes here with "Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha"), Cape Verdean music has enjoyed a wider listenership. This collection, however, cleverly balances the alluring minor key of <I>morna</I> with the lesser-known merry festivity of <I>coladeira</I>, the Cape's party music, and a jazz-tinged dance music called <I>funana</I>. Mysteriously bewitching, <I>Cape Verde</I> is a gorgeous melange of elegant piano, acoustic strings, rousing horn sections, propulsive drumming, flamboyant keyboards, and superb vocalists. <I>--Paige La Grone</I>