Not all music in sung Portuguese is Brazilian! Remember, there is also a country called Portugal, and they have their own local style, which is not only “fado” (an equivalent to our blues) but a sense of other Mediterranean moods as well. Antonio Zambujo sings fado, plays guitar and on this album mixes it with a sly dash of jazz to make an intriguing and alluring mix of heart, soul and mind.
Some of the tunes such as “Fatalidade” feature chiming guitar pickings which serve as a frame for Zambujo’s warm and relaxed voice. Others such as “Barrata Tonta” have a dancing lilt with the strings, charming your socks all the while. There is also accompaniment with a folksy trumpet and bass clarinet making a cozy nightclub atmosphere on “Valsa De Um Pavao Ciumento” and the longing Zamba Del Olvido.” The trio of strings and horn create almost an operatic aria on the desultory and regretful “Ultimo Desejo” and the desperate “Valsa Lisergica” which takes your dreams to another dimension. The mix of the cheerful as on the plucky “Pico Do 7” and “Fatalidade” with the voice of hope that might be fulfilled is a melding that few genres are able to accomplish. This guy’s got it, and hopefully he’ll bring it to the states some day.
Harmonia Mundi