New Music From Cesaria Evora, Nha Sentimento

Written By: Staff Writer—Cesaria Evora has overcome poverty, a revolution, and even a recent stroke to become a national treasure of Cape Verde and uphold her reputation as an increasingly adventurous icon of world music. On her latest album, Nha Sentimento (released digitally on October 26), Cesaria ventures further afield than ever before, twisting Arabic musical traditions into bluesy, sinuous compositions from some of Cape Verde’s best songwriters.

Forty-five years since she began her career, the unassumingly matronly and weathered Evora with a crinkly, lopsided grin found her music in a studio in downtown Cairo. “This time it was from Egypt,” Evora relates, “but it can be from anywhere.” “We cross other borders to achieve other styles,” explains her producer, José da Silva. “We recorded a disk with Cuban musicians and also with Brazilian musicians. The previous album involved African musicians, and now we have taken new inspiration from Arabic music. This makes us open-minded to other cultures.”

The result is music as cosmopolitan and potent as a cocktail: a dozen exotic potables swirl in Brownian motion, lifting up a shot of pure grain Cesaria. Get more information by visiting www.cesaria-evora.com.

Feeling Sara Tavares' Latest Album, Xinti

Written By: Staff Writer—The music of Sara Tavares is full of "sunshine soul" and Xinti (Feel It), her new album, is filled with it. Brimming with Cape Verdean guitar licks, Angolese rhythms and warm Portuguese vocals, Sara has not sounded more authentic. The album is a well-crafted collection, packed with surprises that display how progressively richer and more expansive Sara Tavares’s vocal repertoire has become since her previous album Balancê (which is considered among the Best 100 World Albums). Sara's songs are lyrical, sensual and more textured. Her mottos and poetry suggest a woman on a personal—but universal—journey, and wise beyond her years. They are truly “Songs of Experience” —intimate but also wrapped in irresistibly funky rhythms drawn from the Cape Verdean / African diaspora. Themes of love – spiritual and human – embrace philosophical reflections that describe, says Tavares, “the soul taking flight.”


MIMI Related Links: Balancing The Melody Of The Diaspora; Lura's Light; Spotlight: Mariana Ramos

(Photo Credits: Ricardo Oliveira Alves)

The 21 Hottest Africans

Written By: Staff Writer—Buzzworthy talents from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Tanzania, Mali, Cape Verde, and Sierra Leone are represented in this year's Hot 21, which is published in MIMI's September 2009 issue.

On Heavy Rotation: Maria de Barros

This month, MIMI is listenting to Maria deBarros' recently released album, Morabeza. Maria is a naturally stunning woman who looks more radiant than she ever has! Like her previous albums, Morabeza transcends taste, preference and even language while allowing the tradition of Maria's home country of Cape Verde to permeate. Morabeza is a beautiful CD from beginning to end.

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MIMI Lifestyle Link: MIMI To Do List: Fun & Fabulous!

On Heavy Rotation

Here are some recently released albums that have been on heavy rotation on MIMI's music player ...

Lira set a soul scorching benchmark with her 2006 album Feel Good but Lira's latest release Soul in Mind is her best work to date. Honest, soulful, feminine, joyful, and beautifully African, it's the perfect music to listen to when relaxing. (Recognize the Stoned Cherrie dress that she's wearing on the cover of the album? Check out: Stoned Cherrie Spring Summer or 2008's Best Runway Moments.)

Black Rose, the title song from Hil St. Soul's album is MIMI's theme song, it's all about picking yourself up and being the best you! Zambian-born Hilary Mwelwa's rich voice adds depth and dimension to the thoughtful lyrics and takes you back to the days when we could appreciate music in its purest form, without distracting sound effects. In six words: the album is sweet like honey.

MIMI has always loved Cesaria Evora's music, and that love is well-founded. No other voice in the world has such pared-down beauty. Radio Mindelo consists of some rough recordings done in the early stage of Evora's career, and the result is a rare listen to what she sounded like when she was in her 20s ... sometimes upbeat, occasionally mournful, devastatingly nostalgic, and always haunting. What's not to love about Evora's hallmark swooning sound?

MIMI Mambo Links: Feel Good Music: Lira, SOULidified: Hilary Mwelwa, My All Time Favorite Albums: Hilary Mwelwa

Mariana Ramos's New CD Release: Mornador

Read a review of Mariana Ramos's recently released CD, Mornador, which marks her third solo release in Spotlight: Mariana Ramos. Also, if you are looking to discover other Cape Verdean singers, take a look at MIMI's profiles of Lura in Lura's Light and Sara Tavares in Balancing The Melody Of The Diaspora.

Summer Tours Continue

African summer tours continue to go strong (www.mimimagazine.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-concerts.html). Fans of Cape Verde's newest singing talent, Sara Tavares, should be happy to hear that the singer has been touring Europe during the summer, and she has no plans to stop until December. Sara will be playing in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, to name a few places. Details can be found at: www.saratavares.com

MIMI Mambo Link: Balancing The Melody Of The Diaspora: Sara Tavares www.mimimagazine.com/september2006/02-06-saratavares01.html

Those in the UK can enjoy the vocal stylings of Zimbabwean singer Netsayi , who is on tour for the summer. She is scheduled to continue her tour of the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium until October. Get all the details at: www.netsayi.com

MIMI Mambo Link: Shona Soul: Netsayi www.mimimagazine.com/december2006/02-09-netsayi01.html

(Photo Credits: Joke Schot)

Summer Concerts

We know that summer is upon us because there are all sorts of concerts about to take place. We're really excited that Cesaria Evora, Angelique Kidjo, and Les Nubians are all about to embark on summer tours around America and Europe! In June/July Cesaria Evora will be hitting up Los Angeles, New York and Boston to name a few (check out Cesaria Evora's tour dates and ticket prices here). Angelique Kidjo and Les Nubians will be coming to a city near you even sooner as their tours have already embarked (get all the details of Angelique Kidjo's tour from her official website and get all the details of Les Nubians's concert from their official website). See you at the concerts!

(Photo Caption: Cesaria Evora)

(Photo Credits: Provided Courtesy Of Sony/BMG)

M'Bem Di Fora Is Out Today

Lura's new album M'bem di Fora (I Come from Far Away) is released today on Times Square/4Q Records. The album draws on Lura's rural roots while revealing a side of Cape Verdean music that is new to most American audiences. She throws in a little R&B as a nod to her own generation and the result is fantastic. Add M'Bem Di Fora to your collection now.

(Photo Credits: Joe Wuerfel for Lusafrica)

MIMI Mambo Link: Lura's Light www.mimimagazine.com/2007/march/03-03-lura01.html

Africa Miranda

If you don't know Africa Miranda's name right now, you will by the time the GRAMMYS air this February. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, the Cape Verdean beauty was selected as one of the Top 12 finalists in the "My GRAMMY Moment" campaign, where unsigned artists vie for a special performance slot on the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards with multi-GRAMMY nominee Justin Timberlake. Africa's goals for the future are to be internationally recognized as a performer as well as to work with artists who have paved their own paths musically and reshaped their genres of music, some of her top choices being: Prince, Sade, Pharrell, Madonna, and Andre 3000. Africa also wishes to demonstrate her range in the performing arts by successfully crossing over into film and television. MIMI is definitely rooting for the rising star.

Find out more about Africa Miranda at www.myspace.com/africamiranda

(Photo Credits: Provided Courtesy of CBS)