Canto

The haunting strains of this cd immediately transport me to another realm. I am American and don't speak any Portuguese much less write poetry, but in this album Misia served as my muse inspiring me to try and write a fado poem - or at least what I thought such poems might be like - in English. So I offer it here as both a review and a tribute to her artistry in this excellently conceived recording. The siren of heartbreak sings songs to cajole Drawing me further into the treacherous shoal I search for the route that would lead towards my goal All the time not knowing it rests in my soul Are those thundering hooves I hear from behind? Chasing me into a corner in which I can't hide Everywhere I turn the truth surrounds my mind Have I no choice but to live the fate of my kind? Swallows circle the belfry exulting in joyous flight The owl solemnly contemplates the middle of night Only in the truth of my soul's invisible sight Can I live the swallow's joy - and know the owls plight Coda: To embrace a wounded soul Is the most beautiful love of all Allowing what once could have been To become possible again

Misia is today a reference for the new portuguese fado, a traditional music of sorrow and soul. So you need to understand portuguese language because the liricis are more important than music, But that does not mean you cannot follow her interpretations full of passion in a voice really beautiful. Somtimes feeling is more important.

Every time I play this CD I cannot play it just once. Misia is a singer with real talent, every new album is better than her last. Canto is a collection of songs that even if you can't understand the language they still have the power to move you. Beautifully crafted music superbly sung and played.

Mista has continued to impress me with her style of Fado music and this is one of the great ones.

Most Fado singers interpret passionate singing to mean an excessive style involving screaming, whispering, and a generally discomforting vocal technique. Not so Misia. Her deep, warm, and soulful voice remains beautiful throughout her very emotional and expressive singing - she is a true singer's Fado singer, if not the only one today (perhaps exempting Cristina Branco). This record presents many of Carlos Paredes' elaborate compositions that combine Fado sentiment, sound, instrumentation and technique with the most elaborate of both constructive and improvisational techniques - reminding of J.S.Bach in many ways. But it presents them with words newly written especially for this recording project. While my understanding of Portuguese is very limited and I cannot judge the quality of the text, the result is wholly satisfying on the musical level - the text blends perfectly with the music, and elevates Paredes' work to another plane. Misia was the logical choice for performing this set, she gives it her all, and seems to be wholly fused with the work. A composer that truly stands alone in his genre, a singer that excels in the same way, and a recording that makes you feel a special bond developed between the two via the music. A recording not to be missed. Even my wife, who always insists that she must understand the text to truly enjoy a performance (and who often complains that Fado and Fado singers get on her nerves) loves this disk.

This is one my most favorite fado records. Canto is another one of Misia's experiments with instrumentation and commissioning lyrics by contemporary poets. Almost all songs, except for the last instrumental track Balada de Coimbra by Jose Eliseu, are composed by the Portuguese guitar legend Carlos Paredes. Enigmatic as any other fado record, these melancholic chants stand out for the extraordinary vocals and wonderful instrumental arrangement. Jose Manuel Neto does a perfect job on the Portuguese guitar and string quartet from the Camerate de Bourgogne makes a heart-breaking gem of Balada de Coimbra. Misia is at her best at Ah Nao II, and Tia Minha Gentil is just like sitting in a restaurant at Cais da Ribeira in Porto with a bottle of port and bacalhau, pondering about fatalism and exquisite frustration about thwarted love and matters that cannot ever be changed...

I am portuguese, but I am not much of a fado lover. What I like is Carlos Paredes' music; I find him the only composer to make me feel as I do when listening to J.S.Bach. I almost start believing in God. So, this music is like the sound of the Portuguese Soul, but it is almost like sacred. Mísia managed to sing it, with the extraordinary arrangements by Henri Agnel, adding a string quintet to the usual guitars of fado. The lyrics, from contemporary Portuguese poets are great.Even the album cover and the booklet are beautiful... What else can I say? Now, when ever I listen to Verdes Anos, only with the guitars, I cant help hearing in my mind « Era o Amor...»....

In this album, Misia takes a new direction, setting her rich resonant voice against the rich resonant voices of cello, viola, and violin. The songs, of course, are sad -- reflections on the sorrow that drapes every joy in life. It's perfect for an afternoon when you feel like crying your eyes out. If you are a beginner to fado, I would recommend that you first buy Paixoes Diagonais, which is not "pure" fado either but features more of the characteristic Portuguese guitar. The gitarra is mandolin-like on high notes and zither-like (twangy) on low notes. Very different from the velvety overtones of orchestral instruments played with a bow. Then you might try Ritual, which is pure Misia and gitarra -- all out, boohoo Portuguese torch singing. Grab a hanky.

Wir haben uns viele Fadosänger/innen angehört, auch Live in Lissabon und im Fadomuseum. Uns berühren die Stimme und Lieder von Misia aber am meisten. Auch das Ar­ran­ge­ment dieser CD ist sehr stimmig. Wunderschöne Musik zum Träumen und entspannen, bei einem guten Essen zu zweit, einem Glas Wein oder einfach nur so. Warum nicht Melancholie einfach mal zulassen, um seine Mitte wieder zu finden?

Bom

Ich bin sehr froh, Misia schon einmal live erlebt zu haben. Insofern war der Griff zu ihrem neuesten Werk nicht verwunderlich, doch seit die ersten Klänge von "Canto" in meinem Wohnzimmer erklangen, möchte ich dieses Meisterwerk nicht mehr missen. Misias dunkle, kranftvolle Stimme mischt sich hier mit einem kleinen Kammerorechster zu einer besonderen Form des Fado. Es ist schwer, sich der Magie dieser "traurigen" Musik zu entziehen, die einen gerade ob ihrer Schwere zum Träumen einlädt und mir jedesmal Schauer über den Rücken jagt. Dabei ist diese CD ein Tröster in jeder Seelenlage. Tief kann man eintauchen in die Intenstität und Konzentration dieser Stimme, dieser Texte und dieser Musik ... gerade erschüttert duch eine gescheiterte Liebsebeziehung zieht einen diese CD erst einmal hinunter in ein Tal der Tränen, um einen dann purifiziert und gestärkt wieder an die Seelenoberfläche zu entlassen. Ein Glas dunken Vino tinto dazu und alles wird wieder besser. Promised.