At the Olympia in Bloomington, MN

The former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde lies 600 kilometers off the Senegalese coast. Among the many local musical styles that can be heard on the island is the
morna
. The principle practitioner of this purportedly Portuguese-, Angolan-, and Brazilian-influenced musical form is
Cesaria Evora
. This CD documents two concerts
master
Evora
gave in June of 1993 at the
Olympia
in Paris. With incredible ease and visceral strength,
sings song after song about love, loss, longing, and longevity. Minor-key and
blues
-sounding accompaniment is provided by a sextet on piano, harmonica, violin, guitar, clarinet, and cavaquinho (a four-string lute). A must-have for any
fan,
's
A Live a L'Olympia
highlights the good-natured "barefoot diva" at her best and in front of her devoted fans. ~ John Vallier