Lura - Eclipse
ARTIST........: Lura
TITLE.........: Eclipse
LABEL.........: Lusafrica
URL...........: http://www.myspace.com/luracaboverde
GENRE.........: Ethnic
QUALITY:......: 190 kbps avg/ 44100Hz / Joint Stereo
RIP DATE......: 2009-04-09
RELEASE DATE..: 2009-03-23
Tracklist:
----------
01. Libramor 4:26
02. Um Dia 4:27
03. Tabanka 4:23
04. Eclipse 5:36
05. MarinhΩro 3:55
06. Maria 3:51
07. Terra'L 4:40
08. Quebr≤d Nem Djosa 4:02
09. Na Nha Rubera 4:28
10. Orfelino 4:26
11. Sukundida 3:50
12. Mascadj⌠n 4:13
13. Queima Roupa 3:29
14. Canta Um Tango (With Kantango) 5:50
Total 61:36
Release Notes:
We left Lura in 2006 with the flawless ôM'bem di Foraö. Today, she is back with
ôEclipseö, her finest album to date. Recorded in Brussels, Lisbon, Paris, Praia
and Naples, this fourth opus confirms the reliable talent and natural elegance
of a singer who still has plenty of surprises in store for us.
Penned by B. Leza, the historic Cape Verdean writer sung by Cesaria Evora, the
song Eclipse is a treasure-house of emotion and sobriety. It sets the tone for
the album: delicately wrought, acoustic and full of grace. The track is a
perfect illustration of sodade - a vague feeling of melancholy and sadness, a
nostalgic relationship with land, sea and family sung by poets, sailors and
their wives since time out of mind. LuraÆs sensual voice sometimes conveys the
distant regrets of her exile, a general, gentle sodade that is never bitter.
A Portuguese-speaking artist, Lura stands at the crossroads of Portuguese and
Cape Verdean culture. Born in Lisbon in 1975 (the year of her countryÆs
independence), she remains strongly attached to her familyÆs native land and the
culture of Cape Verde. At the age of seventeen, she was already dancing and
singing backing vocals for Juka, a Sao TomΘ zouk singer. Giving up her swimming
studies, she took the plunge into the musical deep end and soon acquired a
reputation as a singer in her own right. In 1996, she recorded a first urban
album of r&b and Afro-Portuguese zouk.
A well-received duet with Angolan singer Bonga, then partnerships with her
fellow countrymen Tito Paris and Paulinho Vieira caught the ear of JosΘ Da
Silva, head of Lusafrica and Cesaria EvoraÆs producer, and he signed her to his
label. Lura released her first proper album, ôDi Korpu ku Almaö, in 2004. It met
with strong critical acclaim.
Following the success of her next album, ôM'bem di Foraö, which came out in
2006, Lura travelled the world, winning over audiences who proved ever more
loyal and attentive to her music. Thanks to her, Cape VerdeÆs younger
generations rediscovered their local musical heritage. They began to dance, fall
in love and weep to the beats their parents and grandparents loved. Displaying
great maturity, ôM'bem di Foraö laid the foundations for LuraÆs future songs and
now her new album, ôEclipseö.
Today, she lays firm claim to her Cape Verdean roots, as if all the better to
transcend them. ôI sing the music of my parentsÆ country. I identify especially
with Santiago and Santo Antao, since theyÆre my father and motherÆs islands.
Singing the music of Cape Verde is like experiencing things IÆve never known,ö
she explains in smiling French.
Growing up in the Creole quarter of Lisbon, Lura was surrounded by beats from
the leeward and windward islands, as well as Portuguese pop, jazz, African music
and American soul. Today, all these influences are to be found on ôEclipseö. The
album expresses love, joy and sometimes sadness. Its thirteen new tracks display
incredible energy - for instance, Maria, a song written by Lura herself, whose
bass and percussion showcase her voice magnificently.
Her bandleader and arranger, Toy Vieira, wrote the superb Um Dia with her in
mind. On this ballad with its jazz notes and discreet backing vocals, a radiant
Lura literally shines, as she does on the catchy Quebrod Nem Djosa (Poor as a
Church Mouse), one of the albumÆs high points. This song by Vlu (Valdemiro
Ferreira), one of MindeloÆs fashionable young writers, appeals to the honesty of
Cape Verdeans facing economic adversity. Brass and backing vocals remind us that
joy and good humour will always win out over lifeÆs trials. Madagascan
accordionist RΘgis Gizavo accompanies Lura on the tracks MarinhΩro, Na Nha
Rubera and Sukundida (the last two are the catchiest on the album). The sugary
60s backing vocals of Queima Roupa, one of the three songs written by Mario
Lucio, form a delightful conclusion to the album. As a bonus, Canta Um Tango is
the work of the group Kantango with lyrics by Teofilo Chantre. Recorded in
Naples, the track gently establishes its post-modern tango credentials.
On ôEclipseö, Lura takes a loving, soulful look at the full musical range of her
country, the different Cape Verdean genres from coladera to funana. Full of
verve and energy, but also with more ingenuous touches, her voice again makes
all the difference. Yet as she modestly confides: ôMy career has been a
continual surprise to me since I discovered my voice in adolescence until now. I
take it one day at a time, but IÆll be a singer for the rest of my life. IÆm
sure of it. I donÆt know why.ö
Well, we do know why when we listen to ôEclipseö. This fourth album confirms the
immense talent of Lura, jewel of the new Cape Verdean generation.