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High Quality, Gatefold Sleeve, Coloured Vinyl
The glorious “Cafe Atlantico” finds Cesaria Evora venturing into more Latin American musical landscapes, as opposed to Portuguese, which dominated her previous albums. Evora draws from traditional Cuban and Brazilian music to mesmerizing effect. The album is also a tribute to her home town of Mindelo, on the Cape Verdean island of Sao Vicente, which was once a busy port with sailors cruising between South America, the Caribbean, and Portugal. Therefore, the music is heartbreaking and nostalgic, warm and tragic all at once. The masterful “Carnaval de Sao Vicente” is one of the most joyous, bittersweet party songs ever put on wax (and was even issued as a maxi-single with fantastic remixes). “Roma Criola” is tragic, lonely, destitute, and always interesting, making for an undiscovered masterpiece of a ballad, and her rendition of the Spanish language standard “Maria Elena” is absolutely heartbreaking. The album evokes a moody elegance rarely found in modern music, from the sweeping opener “Flor Di Nha Esperanca” to the summery “Amor Di Mundo”, and the picture she paints of this cafe at the end of the world is a gorgeous, multi-colored, and emotion-stirring palate. This album is nothing short of world class and will be enjoyed by generations to come.

Recording: 1999 at Studio Recall, Pompignan (France) by Joao Magalhaes and at Studio Harry Son, Paris, by Pascal Catet Production: Jose de Silva “Cafe Atlantico” – Cesaria Evora (voc); Bau (g, arr, cavaquinho); Luis Ramos (g, voc); Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho, voc); Jose Paris (b, voc); Nando Andrade (p, voc); Calu (dr); Tey Santos (perc); Totinho (ts, ss, per, voc); Silvano Michelino (pander, bgo); Conde Djeli Moussa (kora); Jacky Fourniret (acc); a.o.