Ser Fado

There's no beating around the bush: Telmo Pires’ second fado effort makes a poor case for his defence. It is unsettlingly clear that he is unlikely to leave a mark as a fadista; and there is very little evidence to sustain the claim trumpeted here that he is ‘the modern incarnation of fado.’ Having spent most of his life in Germany, perhaps it's that distance from his homeland (Portugal) that is responsible or a strange uneasiness that makes Ser Fado an awkward listening experience. It feels constantly like something is out of place and most of it, unfortunately, is due to the singer's delivery

Recently relocated from Germany to Lisbon, Pires also reconnects with his northern Portuguese origins, recording an unreleased song from one of the country's biggest pop geniuses, António Variações, whose exuberant style in the 80s brought together a modern musical thinking and a rural folklore tradition in a formidable personal style. Perhaps Pires could also energise his music if he did not try so hard to follow a fado route and instead favoured his own background instead. Portuguese music can take a lot of different shapes and not everyone is fit to become a fadista.