Search - Cesaria Evora: Live in Paris on DVD

The queen of Cape Verdean pop, filmed live in France

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Singer Cesaria Evora is the cultural ambassador and greatest star of her native country, Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony off the Northwestern coast of Africa. She excels at the highly stylized and emotionally intense ballad style known as the "morna," a melodramatic, mournful romantic music that is much like the Portuguese fado, full of beautiful, melancholy guitars and impassioned lyrics of love lost and life both savored and endured. For those of us unlucky enough to be unable to attend any of her concerts, here is a splendid presentation of Cesaria and her band, recorded live at the Zenith Theatre in Spring of 2001. The music is all heavenly, a selection of favorites drawn from several albums, including sleek ballads such as "Sodade," "Miss Perfumado," and "Angola." Hovering behind Cesaria are images of Cape Verde's hills, beaches and towns, while onstage, some of the country's finest musicians strum out gorgeous melodies. The one trouble with this video is the editing: the French producers seem to favor montages, including crossfades and overlays of the rear-projected images and the musicians onstage. This technique quickly becomes intrusive and detracts from the beauty of the performance -- personally, I would have preferred a few more lingering close-ups of the singer and her guitarists as they sank into the melancholy depths of the music. But still, this is a lovely glimpse at one of world music's great modern divas. Fans will be overjoyed!"

When evrything works

jojo | Los Angeles, CA | 05/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"well....I'm a jazz fan and sometimes the nolstagic music and also some old Cuban or Tnagos...basicaly I'm a sucker for good music with good melody, and good orchestras..not much into vocals..till I heard and saw this lady...oh..my~~...from the first note when the band starts till then end of the show...I just sat there mesmorized..as to how beutiful this music is...what a romantic voice..what a band playing behind her....they are playing and she is singing as to they are at the port in their country at the sunset when the fishermen are returning from the sea...so relaxed...but so together..EVERYTHING WORKS...MY KIDS WHO LISTEN ENTIRELY TO DIFFERNET KIND OF MUSIC..EVERYTIME THEY HEAR OR SEE THIS dvd THEY STOP DOING WHATEVER THEIR DOING...I have a friend that listens only to British rock..and Jimy Hendrix..since he saw this DVD..I have a hard time keeping this disc away from his house....well...Duke Ellington once said ..."There are only two kinds of music..Good music and Bad music.." this is just not good music it's a supperb performance...even if you don't understand a word...get it...!!"

Good Dolby Digital 5.1 sound

Maximo Iglesias Minino | Dominican Republic | 09/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It happened to me also that at the beginning I could not find the Audio option, it is actually a bit hard to find but it is there!
Open the menu, go to Songs and on the Songs menu look carefully in the background and you should find it there.
There is no option for DTS, only Dolby 5.1.
The concert is great, the sound is very good.
"

Disappointed

Keith Christensen | 09/24/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am very glad that I collected a lot of her earlier recorded CD's. On this DVD the band is as great as it ever was and they really do cover for her when they sing "background". She was fabulous and I've loved her for years but it hurts to hear her sing now. Too many years and way too many cigarettes. This DVD is no where near as good as the other studio recorded one with all the early images of her singing in Cape Verde bars."