Luz

This latest album from Portuguese singer and new-wave fadista Cuca Roseta is a bright and upbeat affair. It's well recorded, well produced and features a line-up of fine musicians. The theme of the album's title, Luz (Light), is intended to be a spiritual thread that's woven through the album. Tracks such as ‘Luzinha’, ‘Luz Materna’ and ‘Luz do Mundo’ push this dimension explicitly, while in other songs the link is (thankfully) a little more tenuous. It all feels beside the point. Cuca's career began with pop music, and it's the lighter, more commercial side of fado that's her forte. The disc has pace, is easy to listen to, and forges an immediate connection. This album won’t, on the other hand, cause much furrowing of the brow (though there's certainly nothing wrong with that).

For this listener, the most enjoyable songs of the album were the jaunty ‘Foge’; a stylish pop-flamenco number by composer Pedro Jóia called ‘Versos Contados’; and ‘Quero’, a pure pop ballad courtesy of singer-songwriter Carolina Deslandes.