Claudia Aurora - Mulher do Norte

The Guardian 60

(Red Orange)

The title, woman of the north, refers to the city of Porto, which Aurora left for Bristol, where she discovered her talents as a singer of fado, Portugal’s yearning music of fate. This second album confirms the promise of her debut, Silêncio. Aurora has a melodic voice – an easy fit for a genre soaked in melodrama and poignancy – but she is less severe than fado’s current queen, Mariza. She writes much of her material, and arranger Javier Moreno brings eclectic shadings from flamenco and jazz. Together, they deliver both bitter and sweet; slow, grand passion such as Soberana destino (Sovereign Destiny) and skipping pieces like Amália Rodrigues’s Filha das ervas (Daughter of the Herbs). Classy.