Do Coração

Last year, we praised Sara Correia’s first adult album (she had released a previous one in her adolescence) as a staggering contribution to fado‘s most traditional form, brilliantly escaping the pop virus that has lately contaminated almost every new singer under the genre’s spotlight. Little did we know that it wouldn’t be long before she fell into that same trap. In 2018, when her eponymous album was released, Correia honoured her heroes singing tracks from Amália Rodrigues, Lucília do Carmo and Beatriz da Conceição’; now she favours the songs from pop/rock composers like Carolina Deslandes, Luísa Sobral or Jorge Cruz.

The problem with Do Coração (From the Heart) is not the songs themselves – Correia really does an impeccable job on ‘Chegou Täo Tarde’, ‘Dizer Näo’ or ‘Por Perto’ – but the album lacks a firm direction, blurring the finely contoured personality we fell in love with on the first album. Instead of confirming Correia as a top ranked fadista of our days, Do Coração sees her take a step back into a talented but indistinct crowd. And it is a shame when the traditional ‘Os Teus Recados’ and ‘Antes que Digas Adeus’ or the sober stunners ‘Por Passares’ (penned by Vitorino) and ‘O Pórtico’ (by Mário Pacheco) hint at the brilliance of the last album. Hopefully, Do Coração will prove to be just a detour on a grander path.