MUSIC

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), bringing the world’s best to Houston, presents Mariza. 8 pm, Thursday, November 12, 2009 in Jones Hall.

In a word, Mariza is sensational. Having risen to even greater heights on the international music scene since SPA presented her in 2007, she represents the new face of Fado, the traditional music of Portugal. Supported by her impressive acoustic trio, her voice is a gorgeous, evocative instrument, and she sings with bravura and power. “Mariza is the music's biggest star for a reason: She sings it not as musty nostalgia but as exuberant twenty-first-century pop,” says Rolling Stone.

Mariza began singing Fado as a child, before she could read. Her father sketched out little cartoon stories to help her remember the lyrics. At the age of five, she would join in the spontaneous singing at her parent's restaurant in Mouraria, one of Lisbon’s most traditional neighborhoods. Mariza was born in Mozambique, but her family moved to Portugal when she was a baby, giving her plenty of time to get immersed directly in the Fado Houses where singing is part of everyday life. “They all stand on emotions,” says Mariza, “Fado is an emotional kind of music full of passion, sorrow, jealousy, grief, and often satire.”

Mariza walks the fine line necessary to both genuinely carry the tradition of Fado and bring it freshness for today. Her performance style captures the raw emotion that characterizes the genre, but with her own personal twist. Mariza is a performer who has it all - charisma, stunning looks, a voice to die for and shows that deal in musical passion and drama. With her heart breaking voice, she performs with graceful, dramatic gestures, leaving slender wistful notes hanging in the air. If you cannot understand Portuguese, there is no problem. The way she sings Fado communicates directly to the soul and the emotions, tugging at the heart with a performance that speaks of longing, love and nostalgia.

Mariza’s latest album Terra is the first masterpiece of a new breathing cycle. Mariza sums it all up in one word: “truth.” And she adds: “During seven years of international tours, I had the chance of discovering other peoples and cultures. I watched and I listened. I learned. This is my moment. This is my truth. I’ve always been true to myself, and I’ve always been true to my fans. And I wanted this album to show them my progress as a singer and a human being. My two previous albums, Transparente and Concerto Em Lisboa were like the end of a cycle to me. This new album, I’ve decided to call it Terra. Why? Maybe because I always have my feet firmly planted on the ground, and also because recording it was like going on a musical journey. Inevitably...”