AUDIO REVIEW: Transparente

In Portugal, fado (destiny) is a popular musical style based on folk rhythms, often described as music "fueled by pure emotion." Mariza Nunes, born in 1973, began singing fado at age five in her parents' humble café in the Mouraria port district of Lisbon. She has likened the emotion in fado to the longings felt by the families of mariners, wondering if their loved ones will return safely from lengthy fishing trips. The solitary singer finds comfort in musical artistry. Sinuous melodies and lyrics are lauded in the song "There Are Words That Kiss Us": "There are words that kiss us / As if they had mouths. / Words of loss, of hope, / Of boundless love, of crazed hope." The title song "Transparent" delivers a spiritual antidote for loneliness in the singer's African ancestry: "My black grandmother knew / How to read destinies / In the palm of each glance." These lush songs of self-discovery — accompanied by a plush-sounding group of indigenous guitars used especially for fado music in Portugal — soothe the listener while they enlighten us.