Every so often a voice emerges from the world music scene with an indefinable ability to cross over to a wider audience. Bebel Gilberto was the most recent example, and Portugal’s Mariza is set to follow her. Singing the mournful, blues-like music of her country (called fado), she combines a spectacularly expressive voice with stunning looks and a charismatic presence that lies somewhere between Grace Jones and Maria Callas. Her music is deeply rooted in tradition and yet somehow it also sounds totally modern. If the last world music album you bought was Buena Vista, make this the next.
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