Moura

The second Moura begins it becomes obvious this is no ordinary fado record. It takes just a snippet of ‘Moura Encantada’ to notice the electric guitar feedback welcoming Ana Moura's new album. Fear not: Ana is not leading any sort of radical revolution, she's just signalling to us that this fadista's not about to give in to the weight of tradition or stop searching for her own voice. That initial feedback is quickly covered by the sparse sound of the Portuguese guitar and the singer's low sensuous voice, making it immediately clear that Moura is built with a precious attention to detail in its arrangements.

It's fair to say Ana Moura is living her second life in music. Up until Leva-me aos Fados (2009), she occasionally showed a bit of a rebellious attitude, often working with musicians outside of fado. But those were the exceptions – little, controlled eccentricities she was allowed if she kept a more predictable general profile. Desfado (2012), produced by Larry Klein, broke those chains and presented us to a fadista singing to and with her own generation, summoning some of the most talented pop-rock songwriters in Portugal to write for her. Moura stays on that course and goes even further in exploring that new-found looseness. ‘Fado Dançado’, ‘Dia de Folga’ or ‘Agora É Que É’ are driven by an irresistible swing, Moura duets with Omara Portuondo in ‘Eu Entrego’, a Cuban bolero of sorts, while the album closes on an African note.