Search - Various Artists, Madalena de Mello :: Fados From Portugal 1

Amazing rare fado oldies!

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 12/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of of the best archival compilations in Interstate Music's Heritage series-- the first of two very solid volumes featuring rare 78s of Portugal's national music-- the soulful, mournful acoustic ballads known as the fado. These Depression-era recordings are striking for their directness and stark simplicity, which contrast sharply with the increasingly stylized and lacrymose production of modern fados recorded since the 1950s. These ancient tracks captured an otherworldly, plaintive style which would be lost to us without reissues such as these. A swell starting place for anyone who is curious about Portugese music, and completely essential for devotees of the fado."