São Vicente
With her haunting singing style--a zesty Luso-African  mélange of Bessie Smith and Billie Holliday--the Cape Verdean  singerCesaria Evoraput  the moving and melancholy musical genre calledmornaon the map  with her critically acclaimed recordingsMiss PerfumadoandCafe Atlantico.São Vicenteis named for Evora's island homeland and is  augmented with percussion, rhythm section, strings, and horns. Evora's  songs of love and longing range from the classy midtempo strains of  "São Vicente Di Longe" and the carnival dances of "Nutridinha" to the  beautiful piano/vocal duet "Negue" with Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés.  She also swings the Cubandanzon/cha cha chaon "Lindo Mimosa"  with the celebrated Cuban group Orquesta Aragon. The singer rocks with  R&B; handclaps on "Hommen Na Meio Di' Homen" and testifies on the  gospel-influenced "Bondade e Maldade." Her duets with Brazilian Caetano  Veloso on "Tiempo y Silencio" and "Regresso," and with American legend  Bonnie Raitt, add more flavors to this tasty musical dish.--Eugene  Holley Jr.