Sao Vicente

1	Săo Vincente Di Longe 4:18
2	Homem Na Meio Di' Homem 4:39
3	Tiempo y Silencio / Pedro Guerra 3:20
4	Sabôr de Pecado 4:43
5	Dor Di Amor 4:31
6	Nutridinha 3:12
7	Regresso / Caetano Veloso 4:00
8	Esperanca Irisada 4:30
9	Ponta de Fi 3:57
10	Crepuscular Solidăo / Bonnie Raitt 5:33
11	Linda Mimosa / Orquesta Aragón 3:48
12	Negue / Chucho Valdés 3:47
13	Bondade E Maldade 5:02
14	Fada 5:01
15	Pic Nic Na Salamansa 3:56

Barnes & Noble

Will the real divas please stand up? With her rags-to-riches story and hard-living past, Cape Verde's Cesaria Evora earns the title even before she opens her mouth. Sure enough, the diva gets her due on the opulent São Vicente -- Cesaria sounds sultry, mournful, and just plain wonderful as ever, her sensuous contralto and worldly wise humility raising the Cape Verdean morna to realms of Piaf-style art song. Orchestrator Jaques Morelenbaum (collaborator with suave Brazilians Caetano Veloso and Tom Jobim) is again on hand -- among others -- to command an exquisite array of string and horn settings, while the colorful guest roster features Veloso, Brazil's great songwriter-poet; Cuban legends Orquesta Aragón and Chucho Váldes; and blues mama Bonnie Raitt. Evora's wistful crooning is a cousin to the flat-out misery of Portuguese fado -- but leavened with African rhythm and island sunshine, tracks such as "Dor di Amor" and "Bondade e Maldade" lend a surprisingly festive flavor. Sparked by the success of the Buena Vista Social Club (who likewise toiled in obscurity before finding fame in their careers' September), Evora's been paired lately with Cuban players, a combination that works, as Cesaria's music has a rustic maritime lilt all its own. "Linda Mimosa" takes a breezy trip into mambo territory, while Váldes provides delicate, yearning piano on the intimate torch song "Negue." Bonnie Raitt's poignant slide licks and crooning (in Evora's native Kriolu!) sound strikingly natural on the lovely duet, "Crepuscular Solidão." Those seduced by 1999's Grammy-nominated Café Atlantico should take at least as much delight in the barefoot diva's latest offering. Abraham Velez

All Music Guide

Cesaria Evora, who at times has been referred to as a new Edith Piaf, turns in another masterful album with her first release of the new millennium, Sao Vicente. This album features several first-rate guest appearances, including Pedro Guerra, Caetano Veloso, Chucho Valdes, and North American blues superstar Bonnie Raitt (who, as always, delivers a remarkable performance) but none takes the stage from Cesaria. This is an album which, even when sunny and jubilant, still has an underlying theme of boundless sorrow, but in the end, the music is pure joy to the ear and the spirit. Highlights of the album include the elegant, nostalgic and sweeping opener, "Sao Vicente Di Longe" (which is the title of the European version of the album). "Dor Di Amor" best illustrates how such joyful music, with jubilant beats and horns, can be so sad, with Cesaria's mournful laments decorating the uplifting song. The album includes more Latin-tinged songs, including "Tiempo Y Silencio" where she sings in Spanish, and nostalgic torch songs, such as "Linda Mimosa" and "Negue," which finds Cesaria accompanied solely by a piano, resulting in one of the most beautiful and touching performances on the album. As is always the case with this singer, the album is strong from start to finish. One can rejoice in Cesaria's musical journey, which proves that true art and emotion can find a route to success in an era of overwhelmingly manufactured artifice. ~ Jose Promis, All Music Guide