News in from World Connection : Text by Sue Steward. The Deolinda Project has produced an irresistible debut album that evokes vignettes from Lisbon life. In the short time since its Portuguese release at the end of 2008, Cancao Ao Lado
An intriguing concept album, 'Cancão ao lado' is delivered ‘live’ in wildly flamboyant concerts that draw audiences from the 30-something age group of the musicians, to grandparents and small children. The secret to their popularity must surely lie in their exuberant, sometimes comic performances, the sweet and catchy or softly melancholic guitar melodies, and music littered with emotive references to fado and other less prominent musical traditions. The songs carry the stories of Deolinda - always explained by the dynamic, charismatic singer, Ana Bacalhau (meaning Salted Cod) who brings to life Deolinda’s stories.
The album’s 14 songs are built around this young Lisbon woman who lives with her cats and goldfish in an apartment and watches through her window as the world go by. Deolinda and the passing characters were invented by the project’s songwriter and guitarist, Pedro da Silva Martins, and are performed by the conservatoire-trained Luis José Martins on guitar, ukulele, small Portuguese cavaco, guitarlele and viola, and double bass player, Zé Pedro Leitao (meaning Suckling Pig), who brings a classical and jazz background.
The Deolinda Project began in 2006, inspired by the astonishing success of Mariza, a phenomenon that put Portugal and fado on the international map. The musicians were previously involved in diverse Portuguese musical adventures, and Ana was a jazz singer. Pedro da Silva initially wrote two songs about Deolinda but when friends demanded more, he expanded them to the 14 on this album. And as they rehearsed and refined the music, Anna recalls, ‘a feminine character’ came to life: "She stands for days listening to records her grandmother left her, and watching through the lace curtains her neighbours’ lives. She writes about characters she sees in the streets and adds her own thoughts. Toninho (in ‘Fado Toninho’) is one of the guys that walks around like they own the street, thinking they’re so hot. She tames him — through love".
Deolinda sings about love affairs between strong women and tough guys, "who don’t love them butdon't defeat them, but it's his loss".
The group's desire to travel with minimal baggage, led to a pared down line up of two guitars, a double bass and the voice, which they took on the road, spreading the Deolinda myth and building a reputation by word of mouth. In 2007 they recorded the songs and were suprised at their growing success.
The album title, 'Cancão ao lado' refers to influences from musical styles including fado, and neighbouring (Cape Verde) morna, and Brazilian music. The mellow 'Não sei falar de amor' (I don’t know how to talk about love) makes the connection with Brazil, " a reminder that we can’t escape Elis Regina and Chico Buarque, etc." says Ana. It is a little darker and more introspective than many other songs. 'Clandestino' recreates the atmosphere of Old Portugal under the dictator Salazar, before the Revolution. "It’s about a couple; the woman has been persecuted by the police and doesn’t know if her lover is coming back that night or not. He comes and brings a gift for her and their baby, but the police arrive and she sings, 'I kissed him and took him in my arms..." They leave the song unfinished because It could easily also be about the universal theme of forbidden love, Ana explains.
Fado runs through the collection even though Deolinda are not a fado band per se. Their lyrics are less mellow but still adorned by gently lyrical guitar harmonies. Most lack the introspective blue moods of fado, making their contrast with Mania. Ana avoids the black shawls that became Mariza’s trademark, the fado symbol of the tragic women in the songs. Instead, she wears brightly patterned costumes influenced by the rural folk traditions of Portugal (including Madeira and Extremadura), matching their colours to some of the music, and the weave of influences stretching from traditional even into pop music.
The fado songs are heartfelt and inevitably linked to 'Saudade', the underlying concept for yearning which infiltrates fado. '0 fado nao e mau' (Fado isn’t bad) is an irresistibly bluesy showcase for Ana’s voice, singing about her relationship to fado’s overwhelming melancholy and her ambivalence. She swears never to sing it because "it corrupts the soul with demons", then concedes, "Without fado and without love, what is left?"
The record sleeve brings to life Deolinda’s stories in vibrant paintings — caricatures - by Joào Fazenda. A group scene unites musicians with their icons, including Madredeus and Amalia Rodrigues, alongside the Deolinda Project and characters from the songs (the crazy, grey-haired character singing 'Lisboa não é a cidade perfeito' (Lisbon isn’t a perfect city)); St Antonio, patron saint of Lisbon; the tuba player on the jaunty 'Fon-Fon-Fon' and the Brazilian blonde in 'Garçonette da casa de fado' who works in a fado club but revolts against fado’s sadness by singing her own upbeat version.
Other songs are vehicles for comments on Portuguese culture and lifestyle, including the jokey and ironic 'Movimento perpétua associativo', a tease on the Portuguese national identity. A fan recently even set up an internet petition to turn the song into Portugal’s national anthem. Ana explains: "We want to change things and make revolution but when it comes down to it, we invent excuses and nothing happens."
Text - Sue Steward
Buy a Copy of Cancao Ao Lado
