Rita Braga has always felt like an artist out of place in the 21st century. ‘Time Warp Blues’ – the album which first brought her my attention – was appropriately titled, and felt like more than simply an homage to a bygone era, but as if it – and she – had somehow been transported.
‘Fado Tango’ is the first single from her fifth album, ‘Fado Tropical’, due in the Spring – her first to be sung entirely in Portuguese, and she says of ‘Fado Tango’ that it’s an ‘adaptation and a new, unusual arrangement of a very old tune’. Indeed, the song dates back to at least 1930, when it was recorded by Ercília Costa & Armandinho.
Listening to Rita’s rendition is refreshing. We live in such tired, jaded, cynical times, where on the one hand art and culture -and the very foundation of our lives – is built on a capitalist milking of creativity which offers nothing but diminishing turns, where ‘originality’ is simply repackaging last year’s tat in different colours and style is a substitute for content. One could argue things have been heading in this direction since the 80s – not because of the advent of synths and drum machines, but because of the explosion of conspicuous consumerism.
Her ukelele augmented with marimba, sax, and strings, her voice to the fore, ‘Fado Tango’ is simple, delicate, delivered with both soul and a certain sashay, and, as she sings of death and passion, it reminds us that before the advent of pop music and rock ‘n’ roll, songs – whether they belong to folk traditions or otherwise – often existed to convey a message or to otherwise speak to the human condition. The fact it is sung in Portuguese – as is befitting of a truly international artist, and one by no means in thrall to the commercial demands of the US, England, or necessarily countries where English is the primarily language – adds a certain layer of – for wont of a better word – exoticness to it, as well as a certain cultural authenticity. This is something which is so often lacking in mainstream pop culture and contemporary music – authenticity. Rita Braga has a unique authenticity, and it shines through gloriously on ‘Fado Tango’.
