Mariza

"The Lisbon-based fado singer has scaled back on her workload since the hectic period 15 years ago that saw her take on the world and sell 250,000 copis of her debut, but her absence has only highlighted how she dominates the Portuguese blues - at least in outsiders' eyes. Furthermore, making your seventh album eponymous suggests a determination to reclaim what little ground she had given up: this isn't that old fado thing, this is "Mariza" ... On "Quem Me Dera" she pours out her heart brilliantly; the guitar playing is immaculate thoughout; and guests such as the Brazilian cellist Jaques Morelenbaum and the veteran fadista Maria de Fé add classy touches on "Semente Viva" and "Fado Errado" respectively".

"Mariza herself is singing from the heart, as only she can. That voice really is in best possible shape here. Even more startling, the repertoire often strays reasonably widely from 'traditional' fado into a range of modern songs that would, frankly, have wiped the floor with anything heard on that annual TV marathon [Eurovision 'Song' Contest]. They might not be classic fado or typical Mariza fare, but more mainstream tracks (...) [with] 'international hit' written all over them. Everything is perfectly anchored in a clear production with Mariza's voice at the centre ... [Producer] Limon has pulled off the trick of making a more broadly commercial album that long-term Mariza fado fans shouldn't have any difficulty with at all".