Di Korpu Ku Alma [CD & DVD]

Disc 1
1	Tabanka Assigo 4:21
2	Na Ri Na 3:36
3	Vazulina 4:47
4	Mundo Ê Nôs 3:56
5	Ês Bida 3:47
6	Tó Martins 4:31
7	Batuku 4:32
8	Padoce de Céu Azul 5:44
9	Oh Náia 3:47
10	So Um Cartinha 4:12
11	Raboita Di Rubon Manel 4:47
12	Tem Um Hora Pa Tude 4:13
13	Nha Vida 4:44
14	Ma'n Ba Dês Bês Kumida Dâ 3:49
Disc 2
1	Tó Martins Live / DVD
2	So Um Cartinha Live / DVD
3	Vazulina Live / DVD
4	Raboita Di Rubin Manel Live / DVD
5	Na Ri Na Live / DVD
6	Nha Vida Live / DVD
7	Lua Live / DVD
8	Batuku Live / DVD
9	Lura Portrait DVD
10	Na Ri Na DVD
11	Vazulina DVD
12	Photo Gallery DVD

Barnes & Noble

As her name might suggest, Lura is indeed an alluring young singer from Cape Verde, by way of Lisbon. Although there's a torrent of records with similar pedigree, Lura's full-length debut (she was featured on 1999's Red Hot + Lisbon compilation) stands out. The rhythms, for one thing, are different -- not quite the teary mornas of Cesaria Evora or the up-tempo zouk-like coladeiras of perennial dance producers the Mendes Brothers. With her producer, Fernando Andrade, Lura explores less-well-known rhythms from this windy archipelago. "Mundo e Nos," for example, is a funaná from the island of Santiago, propelled by the scraping of iron knives. The instrumentation is equally considered, bursting with accordions, strings, and hearty choruses -- a restrained variation of the often too-slick Afro-pop emerging from Europe. Notably, the translated lyrics, especially those written by Orlando Pantera, are excellent: "Vazulina" and "Es Bida" paint indelible portraits of the miserable poverty of Cape Verde, at the same time capturing the zest for life that these far-roaming people seem to have inherited as a natural defense. It's in tackling themes like these -- serious music, serious lyrics -- that Lura, and her gorgeous voice, shines. The somewhat gratuitous DVD, a live concert in Paris, at which she shared a bill with Evora, unnecessarily jacks up the price of this set, but it's worth it to hear the arrival of a new world music star. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

Cape Verde (located off the coast of Senegal) is an archipelago of ten small islands first colonized by Portuguese explorers in 1462. Because of the difficulty and expense of travel between the islands, each has developed a unique culture and dialect, as well as a distinctive musical tradition. Césaria Évora, from the island of Sao Vicente, is the country's most famous musical export, but Lura (who grew up in Lisbon, but whose family comes from Santiago) is poised to bring another flavor of Cape Verdean singing to the world's attention. Her debut album offers a mesmerizing and intoxicating blend of Portuguese lyrics and instrumental flavors and Cape Verdean melodies and rhythms, all of it unified by one of the richest, strongest voices to have come from the Cape Verdean community in years. These songs all vary in tempo from slow and swaying to a medium boil, but even when the tempo picks up (as on the rippling "Vazulina"), the effect remains one of relaxation and calm, confident sensuality. Highlight tracks include the call-and-response celebration "Na Ri Na," the sad and gorgeous "Nha Vida," and a loping, melancholy number called "So Um Cartinha." The album comes with a densely packed companion DVD that includes concert footage, videos for "Na Ri Na" and "Vazulina," a photo gallery, and an interview. Very highly recommended. Rick Anderson