Cristina Branco
Sensus (US: Decca/Universal Classics France, 2004)
Cristina Branco
is one of the young fado singers charting new directions for this
traditionally conservative musical style. Her most recent release is
case in point. Sensus is an exploration of the senses,
especially as related to love and eroticism, seen through the lens of
Portuguese-language poetry. A wide range of poets was selected for this
project, from the Renaissance era to the present-day (William
Shakespeare–in Portuguese translation–is the only non-Lusophone
writer featured). Custódio Castelo, Portuguese guitarist, habitual
accompanist and husband of Cristina Branco, is responsible for most of
the melodies and arrangements.
Every musical element, from melodies to instrumentation to arrangements is
perfectly tailored to Branco’s delicate, but expressive, singing style. Some
pieces are interpreted as fado, but an equal number are not. There are elements
of jazz, classical and even folk music in many of the pieces. The singing is not
dark, tragic, heavy or emotionally overwrought; rather, it is light, clear,
luminous and exquisitely controlled. If you like your fado to be drenched in
tragic saudade, this bright offering may not be your cup of tea. But if you come
to “Sensus” with an open mind, not expecting to find traditional fado, you will
be amply rewarded with beguiling poetry and bewitching melodies brought to
perfection in the diaphanous voice and nuanced delivery of Cristina Branco.
Sensus, as the name implies, is a delight to the senses and something to be
savored again and again.
[Buy
Sensus and her other CDs:
Corpo Iluminado,
Murmurios, and
Post Scriptum].