Fados de Amor

Rodrigo Costa Félix's second album is a compendium of ruminations on women and love. It's a somewhat old-fashioned affair in that its tone is generally sentimental and only occasionally wry. Fado looks to the past – reliant musically on tradition and roots, and thematically on saudade and nostalgia – but even so, there are times here when it's difficult for today's listener to reciprocate the seriousness offered up by the singer. The song ‘Mulher’ (Woman), for example, compares women to roses, waves, sandy beaches and a watercolour painting: it's all served up with great sincerity but without a pinch of salt.

The album provides two breaths of fresh air in the form of a duet with consummate practitioner Katia Guerreiro on ‘Morena’ and with a star-in-the-making, Angolan singer Aline Frazão on ‘Fado Contido’. The latter entices with hints of jazz and African sounds, and forms a wonderful foil for Costa Félix's more traditional, correct-sounding fado style. That's not to relegate Costa Félix's musical abilities to second place: he has a singular talent for putting across a ballad clearly, naturally and in an unmannered way, no matter how unpromising the material, while his effortless singing has both softness and depth. His addictive vocals are ably supported here by zesty instrumentals, most notably Marta Pereira da Costa (his wife) on Portuguese guitar.