Sculptural, dressed entirely in red, Ana Moura presented herself as the queen of Portuguese fado which she is, to the acclamations of the room, largely Portuguese-speaking.
Whether we like fado or not, this traditional Portuguese music which is the equivalent of the blues, the 44-year-old lady has a powerful, deep, extraordinary voice, which lets out deep feelings, often sadness, which is unique to the genre.
With her trio of musicians (drums, bass, Portuguese guitar), she first launched into more traditional fado, before slowly taking us into her new musical universe, more tinged with African and electronic sounds, with tones and rhythms that make the music more interesting.
After three songs, Ana Moura spoke to us, at great length, in English, a compromise language, since she explained to us in French that she does not speak French well. There are people who hate it when an artist talks too much, because it breaks the rhythm. But Ana really wanted to bring us into her world and make us understand it.
She explained to us the genesis of her latest record Casa Guilhermina, the house which bears the first name of her grandmother, who is of Angolan origin, just like her mother. As a child, she constantly listened to Angolan Semba (not Brazilian Samba). She told us that this album is imbued with these rhythms and other regional music from Portugal, which are very important to her.
She also dedicated a song that she wrote for Prince, yes the one from Minneapolis, who had already told her that he wanted to produce her music.
Throughout the performance, the three musicians were accompanied by synths, accordion, violin and recorded backing vocals. It’s like we’ve been treated to the low-budget version of the show.
Despite some reservations, it is difficult to doubt the authenticity of the Portuguese singer, who seeks, with other compatriots, to diversify current Portuguese-speaking music. And to share it with the planet.
My two Portuguese seatmates had bright eyes and were constantly moving. At the end of the concert, cheers rang out.
Everything was said.
