Portuguesa

Pedal steel and electric guitar are not exactly the first instruments that pop to mind when we speak of fado. But rest assured that Carminho did not go country or rock’n’roll overnight. She is still, essentially, a singer of traditional fado. It just so happens that on her sixth album, Portuguesa, she has perfected a personal vision for what her fado should be – and yes, it involves a pedal steel and an electric guitar that find their subtle way into a musical landscape still ruled by the melodic strumming of the Portuguese guitar.

These fundamentals were already in place on her previous effort Maria (2018), but they are now more engraved into Carminho's artistic path and really take it to the next level in grandiose tracks such as ‘O Quarto’ and ‘Praias Desertas’, two poignant takes on solitude and emotional healing. On this self-produced record, where synthesizers and Mellotron also make an appearance, Carminho goes deeper into the depiction of stunning atmospheres for each fado, as if she is applying a clear dramaturgy to every song. And that also entails the ranchera-flavoured ‘As Flores’, the Dead Combo-sounding ‘Marcha de Alcântara de 1969’ or the superb a cappella duet (with Rita Vian) ‘Simplesmente Ser’.

Singing traditional fados or her self-penned tracks, Carminho's music is increasingly her own creation. And that is fabulous to witness.