Amdjer

Amdjer is as bittersweet and comforting as a perfectly crafted negroni, served with a tropical breeze and a sultry sunset. The playing throughout the album is superb – understated piano and percussion without a beat or note out of place from a superb session band. Harmonies are rich and buttery – there’s a garnish of soprano sax, a sprinkling of maracas over gentle but sophisticated classical guitar, a gentle swing that will have you swaying. Lucibela’s voice is silky and deep throughout. Mornas like ‘Justa Recordação’ ooze the sweet melancholy of saudades – or sodade as it’s called on Cape Verde. ‘Ilha Formose’ and ‘Estronhe’ are simply gorgeous tracks.

In short, Amdjer is everything you’d hope for from that classic Cape Verdean, Cesaria Evora sound. Well almost. Cesaria was never silky smooth. She had tobacco stains and a whisky rasp, a life steeped in salt and sadness. Maybe Lucibela has them all too, but like the picture on the album cover, Amdjer is just a little too airbrushed for them to show through.