OST ~ "As Good As It Gets" (Hans Zimmer, 1997)

OST ~ "Lost Highway" (1997)

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS: "The Boatman's Call" (+ Bonus Tracks)

Original released on CD Mute CDSTUMM142

(UK 1997, March 4)

"Murder Ballads" brought Nick Cave's morbidity to near-parodic levels, which makes the disarmingly frank and introspective songs of "The Boatman's Call" all the more startling. A song cycle equally inspired by Cave's failed romantic affairs and religious doubts, "The Boatman's Call" captures him at his most honest and despairing - while he retains a fascination for gothic, Biblical imagery, it has little of the grand theatricality and self-conscious poetics that made his albums emotionally distant in the past. This time, there's no posturing, either from Cave or the Bad Seeds. The music is direct, yet it has many textures, from blues to jazz, which offer a revealing and sympathetic bed for Cave's best, most affecting songs. "The Boatman's Call" is one of his finest albums and arguably the masterpiece he has been promising throughout his career. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

SINÉAD O'CONNOR: "Sacrifice" (1987>>>1997)

"ESCRITO NA ALMA"

Aqui o Rato anda perdido de amores por esta voz do Fado. Mas é muito difícil encontrar discos disponíveis desta senhora, quer nas lojas quer na net. Tive a sorte de ter encontrado este, editado em 1997, e que aqui vos deixo. Ao que parece a carreira desta fadista começou um pouco tarde, já depois dos 40 anos (ela nasceu em Lisboa, a 15 de Maio de 1940), razão pela qual a sua discografia não será muito extensa. O 1º album, ainda em vinil, foi editado em 1984, numa tiragem limitada e particular, tendo o 1º CD só visto a luz do dia oito anos depois. De qualquer modo gostava de conhecer toda a discografia desta grande dama do Fado, pelo que todas as contribuições serão muito bem vindas.

"The Blue Cafe" By CHRIS REA

O 2º Grande Encontro

Edição original em CD BMG 7432152840-2

(BRASIL, Novembro 1997)

Depois do sucesso do álbum "O Grande Encontro" (1996), que também contou com Alceu Valença, foi lançado um novo álbum, desta vez gravado em estúdio e sem a participação de Alceu, que preferiu continuar com sua carreira solo. Chegou-se a cogitar a participação do cantor Fagner para o lugar de Valença, porém, a ideia foi abortada.

As Canções:
01. Disparada (Geraldo Vandré / Théo de Barros)
02. O Princípio do Prazer (Geraldo Azevedo)
03. Banquete de Signos (Zé Ramalho)
04. Miragens (Geraldo Azevedo / Zé Ramalho)
05. Pedras e Moças (Geraldo Azevedo / Zé Ramalho)
06. Canta Coração (Geraldo Azevedo / Carlos Fernando)
07. Eternas Ondas (Zé Ramalho)
08. Bicho de Sete Cabeças II (Geraldo Azevedo / Zé Ramalho / Renato Rocha)
09. O Autor da Natureza (Zé Vicente da Paraíba / Passarinho do Norte / Bráulio Tavares)
10. Saga da Asa Branca (Luiz Gonzaga / Humberto Teixeira / Zé Dantas)
11. Canção da Despedida (Geraldo Azevedo / Geraldo Vandré)
12. Ai Que Saudade d'Ocê (Vital Farias)

CLÃ: "Lustro"

Edição original em CD Vadeca 7243.5.26506.2.0 
(PORTUGAL 2000, Maio 22)

Perhaps Clã's finest, putting to rest some of the forgettable funk lite of previous years and concentrating on honing their songwriting. Getting talented people like Manuel Cruz or Sérgio Godinho to write some lyrics was a cunning move as well, drawing from the sinergy some of their best tracks, such as "Sopro do Coração". Apart from "Fahrenheit" and the hit single "Dançar na Corda Bamba", "Lustro" is also more subtle and poppy than anything they had done before. And I've got to say that the lovely "Sangue Frio" is quite likely the great Clã song. (in RateYourMusic)

Este é um album que rivaliza o estatuto que "Kazoo" teve de trazer os Clã para a ribalta, passe a expressão. Embora sentimentalmente reconheça "Kazoo" como o melhor album, na minha opinião, dos Clã, este "Lustro", em termos qualitativos, é superior, e galvanizou o nome de Manuela Azevedo e companhia no panorama musical português, granjeando-lhes a eternidade. Desde o primeiro hit a sair para as rádios "Dançar na Corda Bamba", que até se poderá considerar a menos boa performance em todo o album, temos sons inolvidáveis, e também pouco usuais não só aos próprios Clã, como a tudo o que até então se tinha feito na música portuguesa dita "mainstream": "Fahrenheit", dotado de grande energia, "Bem Versus Mal", uma poderosa balada, "Depois do Amor", uma das melhores músicas do album, a par com "O Sopro do Coração", em que todo o potencial vocal de Manuela Azevedo se revela para nos desvendar uma inolvidável canção romântica, assobiada e contarolada milhares de vezes pelos casais mais apaixonados. Em resumo, um album ao qual ninguém sairá idiferente, um album que todo o apreciador de música portuguesa deverá ter na sua prateleira, não só a ganhar pó, mas também a sair de vez em quando para uma leitura óptica... (in RateYourMusic)

That Latin Sound Of Edmundo...

Original released on CD Castle PLS 245

(UK, 1997)

A HERANÇA MUSICAL DE JOSÉ AFONSO

EVA BY HEART

Original released on CD Liaison 110296-2

(US 1997, September 23)

An album both haunting and inspiring, tragic and mesmerizing, "Eva by Heart" was the singer's only true studio album, and hints at the promise which was never to materialize due to her early demise from cancer. Five of the songs on this set ("I Know You by Heart," "Time Is a Healer," "Wayfaring Stranger," "Wade in the Water," and "Songbird") appear on her "Songbird" collection. The import version of "Eva by Heart" contains an extra track, "Dark End of the Street," which does not appear on the American version, or on any of her albums for that matter. The styles range from folksy (the sweet "I Know You by Heart"), to soulful ("Time Is a Healer"), to introspective ("Say Goodbye," "Waly Waly"), to downright rousing ("Wayfaring Stranger," "How Can I Keep From Singing?") and bluesy ("Blues in the Night."). Eva's voice always sounds crystalline, and her interpretive skills are unmatched (as evidenced on her lovely take of Christine McVie's "Songbird"). The woman had the power to transform a standard or a traditional into her own song, and she could belt out the blues just as good as anybody else (take one listen to "Blues in the Night" or her duet with Chuck Brown, "Need Your Love So Bad"). This disc, as with any of her works, and the posthumous fame she achieved but never sought, stand as testimony as to how true artistry, despite whatever circumstances, has the capacity to transcend, and her story should prove inspiring to any truly talented and struggling musician out in the world. (Jose F. Promis in AllMusic)

EVA CASSIDY LIVE AT BLUES ALLEY - 2/3 January, 1996

Original released on CD Blix Street G2 10046

(UK, 23 September 1997)

The late Eva Cassidy gained a loyal following in the Washington, D.C., area through appearances in small clubs, utilizing her pitch-perfect singing voice to interpret a variety of tunes ranging from standards to modern-era pop songs. A notoriously shy performer, Eva Cassidy had a somewhat stiff stage presence, but she endeared herself to her audiences by performing songs she obviously loved, combining elements of soul, gospel, blues, and jazz. "Live at Blues Alley" is an excellent showcase for her vocal talents and her ability to make even the most familiar tune uniquely her own. Admittedly, the titles on "Live at Blues Alley" seem like a set list for a bad Vegas lounge act; songs such as Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" have been done to death for decades. Fortunately, Eva Cassidy had an obvious affection for these standards. She sounds as if she had a ball performing the Irving Berlin number, while her subtle reading of the Louis Armstrong tune is nothing less than extraordinary. She was equally successful with more contemporary pop classics like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Take Me to the River." Ultimately, the slower songs are the most stirring, particularly her rendition of "Fields of Gold." Her tear-jerking version of the Sting tune could very well be one of the greatest cover songs ever recorded. Eva Cassidy's popularity slowly began to spread outside of the D.C. area upon the release of this album in early 1996. Unfortunately, Eva Cassidy passed away later that year, just as she began laying the groundwork for what could have been a stellar career in music. However, her posthumous success has been astonishing, with worldwide critical acclaim and extensive exposure on British television that helped her album "Songbird" climb to number one on the British album chart in March, 2001. "Live at Blues Alley" was the only solo album released during Eva Cassidy's lifetime (an album recorded with Chuck Brown, "The Other Side", was also released), and it's an excellent introduction to a performer who never lived to witness the impact her voice made on her fans all over the world.