Mariza escapes her cage!

[Con Murphy]

I can't think what the S/P numbers represent.

An anorak replies:-

Series/Programme?

[bill tompkins]

not much wrong with that. Oi'll give it foive! However, I think we sometimes forget that our particular musical tastes are not, on the whole, shared with the VAST majority around us in the uk. Look at this forum and there's a relatively small group of names bouncing back over and over again. Half of you write about it or play it on the radio. many of the rest of us have met or corresponded with either them or each other or both. We can't get too precious if Jools' show, which in many other ways is a fine vehicle for lots of other types of music, doesn't cater so well to our needs. You reckon it would have lasted more than a couple of shows if it did? I'll settle for any coverage to keep me happy and maybe spread the word just a little bit further.

[Con Murphy]

I agree with Bill. That track listing shows what a bunch of ungrateful wretches we are and reminds me that at least one or two people I know were turned onto Ojos De Brujo, amongst others, after their appearance. Plus, of course, the other side of the coin is that one gets to filter out the good (Kings of Leon, Eels) from the bad (most of the rest) amongst the largely over-praised acts that inhabit the rock world.

[David Godwin]

I saw one or two good reviews of their latest album. Have any of the regulars on this site got hold of this? and, if so, what views do they have of the album?

[Con Murphy]

I've only had the CD for a little while, but first impressions are that I don't like it as much as her first two.

That Voice sounds better than ever, and there are some great tracks (the title track is lovely, I love the chamber orchestra feel of <i>Duas Lagrimas de Orvalho</i>, <i>Fado Tordo</i> is brilliant, the Parisian accordeon led <i>Fado Portugues de nos</i> really works), but there are, for the first time for one of her CDs, tracks that I find myself just wanting to end when I play it.

It's not necessarily because of the strings, I think they're only too obtrusive on the final track, <i>Desejos vaos</i>. It's not the extra instrumentation - Cello, accordion, flute all sound great and fill out the sound beautifully.

No, it's the Radio 2-style tracks that I don't like. The curse of Bacharachese on <i>Ha palavras que nos beijam</i> (complete with French horn!) and one or two songs that could quite easily be translated into English and given to Elaine Page - I'm thinking <i>Medo</i> and <i>Ha uma musica do Povo</i> in particular.

As usual the jauntier tracks are charming, other tracks I haven't mentioned are all enjoyable, but there are one or two others like <i>Meu Fado Meu</i> that are only really rescued by either their hook and/or Mariza's voice. Other than that, due either to the production or arrangements or some other factor I'm not expert enough to identify, we are talking borderline MOR at times.

It would be slightly unseemly and probably a bit premature for me to talk about the empress being semi-naked here, but on first few listens I do find it strange that reviews are being so kind. Howard had it right when he asked rhetorically what the reaction might be to this recording were Mariza to be singing in English. That applies more so to the 3 or 4 songs that could have also have been recorded by UK or American singers. I thought I might welcome a change from fado for Mariza, but I have to say on this evidence I'd rather she not go too far down the route this CD takes at times.

[Charlie]

Thanks for pointing out the Series/Programme code!

Message from Gareth Davies, of Chapple Davies, the promotion team responsible for radio & TV:

I thought you might be interested in knowing that Mark Cooper has just confirmed Amadou & Mariam for two live songs with full band on the last show of the current series of Later With Jools to be recorded on 7 June (TX 17 June). The other bands on the show are Coldplay, Jamiroquai, Antony & The Johnsons and Billy Preston. Should be fantastic!

Take care, gareth

[Dominic]

Next week Salif Keita sings I Will Always Love You...

Sorry for late entry into this discussion...

Salif covered Begin the Beguine on Red Hot & Blue and, in 1996, released Sosie, an album of chansons including songs written by the likes of Leo Ferrer, Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Legrand. It's still in print (available from Stern's, of course) and is actually not at all bad (in other words he's done worse). The band includes Kante Manfila and Sekou Kouyate.

Other covers that spring to mind are Papa Wemba's Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song) and Sekouba Bambino's It's A Man's Man's Man's World. I haven't yet listened to the latin version of Walk On The Wild Side that features on Putumayo compilation Cover The World...

[bill tompkins]

didn't wasis diop cover talking heads' 'once in a lifetime'? (rather well, if memory serves)

[bill tompkins]

if amadou and mariam are doing 'later...', do you suppose they are likely to be bringing their new friend manu chao along, or is that too much to hope for? (cracking album, Grommit!)

[howard male]

I'd like to be the first person to quote myself on this website, just to say 'I told you so.'

I said

Lhasa has a cracking live band, capable of stirring up quite a cauldron of noise on tracks like 'Anywhere on this Road' but I bet it's one of the you-could-hear-a-pin-drop tracks, that she's allowed to perform, between two tedious retro-rock workouts on next weeks show.

Sandwiched between the tired nihilism of the Fall and the epic indy miserableism of Athlete, Lhasa had to make do with just a viola and acoustic guitar to make her impact. Oh well, let's hope Amadou and Mariam kick some rock arse, in the final show!

[kyonggimike]

I was listening to a World Service piece on the eve of the Eurovision the other day about the most execrable songs to have won that contest. One that was singled out was a Spanish entry from the 60s called "La la la la" (It continued in much the same way.). I have a cover version of it by Mariza's most illustrious predecessor, Amalia Rodrigues - one of many occasions when she "broke out of her cage" - not a bad precedent.

[kyonggimike]

To continue, the forerunner of the recent renaissance of fado, Misia, included a saudade-laden version of "As time goes by" and a traditional Korean song "Boribat" (Barley field) on her second (I think 1992) album. And to broaden the argument, in a documentary on Radio 4 about 2 months ago about the history of "Rock around the clock", one of the musical historians who appeared (I forget the name) made the point that the idea that performers should stick to a single musical genre is a recent one, and (can anyone confirm this?) that blues singers like Muddy Waters or Howling Wolf would include plenty of current pop and show songs in their live acts in the early 50s. The idea that there may somewhere be an extant tape of Muddy Waters singing "She wears red feathers and a huly huly skirt", or the Wolf doing "Some enchanted evening" is intriguing.