Fado Camões

The artist known as LINA_ is a fado singer with an exquisite voice and a love of experimentation. She won a batch of awards for Lina_Raül Refree, in which she was backed only by the Spanish producer’s minimalist electronica, and for her latest album, based on the work of the celebrated 16th-century Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões, she has turned to Justin Adams. He may have worked with everyone from Tinariwen to Souad Massi, but has never tackled fado before, and the result is an intriguing fusion that balances tradition and experiment with LINA_’s thrilling, passionate voice matched against subtle, bravely original backing. Pedro Viana is on Portuguese guitar, John Bagott (ex-Portishead, Massive Attack and Robert Plant) adds piano, Fender Rhodes, drum programming and Moog bass, while Adams himself plays guitar, percussion and programming to bring the songs a gently thrilling, unexpected edge. So the opening ‘Desamor’ sets LINA_’s emotional, powerful singing against thoughtful piano and guitar work, on ‘Amor é um Fogo Que Arde Sem se Ver’ her pained vocals are matched against minimalist guitar lines, gentle electronica, and passages of silence. And on ‘Pois Meus Olhos Não Cansam de Chorar’ she is backed by edgy rumbling effects and delicate piano lines. Experimental fado at its finest.