Cape Verdean Melancholy - Bau

Advantages: Easy to listen to, thought provoking lyrics
Disadvantages: Some may find that certain songs sound similar

...Get Cape. Wear Cape Fly. is the alias of 20 year old Southend boy, Sam Duckworth. It may sound videogame-like and geeky (his name was actually taken from a sub-heading in a videogame magazine, and is a reference to the Super Mario series of games), but his music, descibed by many as 'folk-tronica' is, in my opinion, amazing. He's been described as a modern day Billy Bragg, who is one of his heroes, and a protest singer. Released in September 2006, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.'s debut album, ''The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager'' made it to #26 in the UK charts. The album, recorded mostly in his bedroom, is a blend of folk, acoustic, and videogame inspired sounds, played under thought provoking lyrics about life, eduacation, work and issues in the world today, including poverty and the problems that corperate buisnesses cause. He sing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Uplifting and joyful
Disadvantages: For a debut album, it's hard to fault

...It was after hearing Mayra singing on a recent Jools Holland show that I decided to check out her 2006 debut album 'Navega' (Upon the Waves). I liked the song she sang on the show which seemed to have a Brazilian influence and I was immediately hooked by the clarity and relaxed range of her warm and passionate voice. Having some knowledge of Brazilian Portuguese, I also thought it would be interesting to listen more closely to the lingo of this Cape Verdean singer. Background and LanguageAlthough Mayra Andrade was born in Cuba she spent most of her childhood growing up in Cape Verde - a former Portuguese colony 500km off the coast of Senegal and the native home of her parents. Her family seems to have been either well off or forced to leave their homeland for economic reasons. Her parents gave her a taste of international... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: 'Balancé' is a beautiful record
Disadvantages: None

...I can't resist writing a review about all that is from my home country Portugal as Sara Tavares is a beautiful Portuguese singer, composer and guitarist, here is my brief review: Born Cape Verdean, Sara grew up between two cultures (Sara Tavares was raised by an older Portuguese woman when her Cape Verdean parents left her to search for a better life). Despite residing in Lisbon, she does not forget her Cape Verdean origins. Sara Tavares was only 16 years old when she won two of Portugal's most prestigious TV music contests: Tavares won the 1993/1994 final of the song contest Chuva de Estrelas(stars in they're eyes) and the Portuguese Television Song Contest final in 1994, consequently earning a place the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Chamar a Música" Her second album 'Mi Ma Bô', produced by Parisian Lokua Kanza... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful