Momentos

Dulce Pontes began her musical career in 1991 when, as a shy teenager, she sang for Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest. She abandoned pop to walk the path of the full-on diva, singing epic songs that showcased her true talent – a vast, heartfelt voice of almost operatic presence. Her breakthrough came with a dramatic aria-like cover of the old Amalia Rodrigues song, ‘Canção do Mar’, which was a huge international hit. This track and other choice ‘Momentos’ from her 20-year career are featured on this double CD. All are new recordings, however, and some are far better than others. Some tracks aren’t convincing, particularly the syrupy, over-the-top anthem song for the New Seven Wonders of the World project, ‘Todos Somos Um’ (We Are All One) – sung as a duet with José Carreras and sounding like a cross between second-rate Lloyd Webber and Reneé & Renato. Successes include a haunting version of ‘Cançâo de Embalar’, which beautifully showcases Dulce’s effortless vocal and dynamic range, ‘Cançâo do Mar’ itself, which is recorded with a sparser, folkier musical backdrop to the original, and the sweetly sad but searingly powerful fado, ‘Medo’. A new version of ‘Lágrima’ with a Greek bouzouki accompaniment works well and sounds surprisingly Portuguese.