CAPE VERDE
Similar in scope and tone to Putumayo'sBrasileirocollection,Cape Verdepresents the music of the islands just 300 miles off West Africa's Senegalese coast. Drawing from Portuguese and African influences, the music of Cape Verde is most often rooted in a sensually languid and rhythmically complex cousin of the blues calledmorna. Largely popularized on the international scene by the meteoric popularity ofCesaria Evora(who contributes here with "Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha"), Cape Verdean music has enjoyed a wider listenership. This collection, however, cleverly balances the alluring minor key ofmornawith the lesser-known merry festivity ofcoladeira, the Cape's party music, and a jazz-tinged dance music calledfunana. Mysteriously bewitching,Cape Verdeis a gorgeous melange of elegant piano, acoustic strings, rousing horn sections, propulsive drumming, flamboyant keyboards, and superb vocalists.--Paige La Grone