World Music’s Evora Offers Soulful Repertoire

It’s probably not too far off to describe Cesaria Evora’s concert at Veterans Wadsworth Theater on Friday as a triumphant return. When the Cape Verdean singer appeared a LunaPark a year ago, she was barely known in this country, even though she had already become a major star in Europe.

In the interim, the woman known as the Barefoot Diva has become highly visible to American fans of world music. And she and the plaintive songs--mornas--that are the foundation of her repertoire were greeted by a cheering Wadsworth crowd (and a ticket demand so strong that another date at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre was added the following night).

Evora’s presentation was a model of austerity. Backed by five musicians playing guitars, bass, violin, cavaquinho (a small guitar) and piano, she simply strolled on stage, picked up a hand microphone and began to sing.

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There were a few numbers that have been heard widely on world music radio--”Sodade” “Petit Pays” and “Miss Perfumado”--but most were unfamiliar. Yet, without offering more than a word or two in English, Evora managed to communicate in a fashion that had the audience hanging on every phrase.

Her presence, her interpretation and the deep soulfulness of her readings recalled both the wounded sadness of Edith Piaf and the resilient durability of Mercedes Sosa. But Evora’s sound was uniquely her own, especially the way in which she gently slipped up into her keening high notes, using them as emotional punctuation to heighten the effect of her musical line.

At the root of her singing, she was most reminiscent of Billie Holiday--completely dissimilar in style, to be sure, but a sister in spirit via her world-weary expression of saudade as the blues.