I’m so sad that the “Barefoot Diva” Cesaria Evora died this weekend. I came across her work 3 years ago, and have been addicted ever since. If you’re a stranger to her music, you must check it out–especially “Yamore,” a song she recorded with Salif Kaite. Her voice is otherworldly, but I’m also enamored with who she was. Raised in an Orphanage in Cape Verde, she started singing in bars when she was just 16 years old for free booze, and eventually parlayed her talents into a career as a Grammy-winning, world-traveling musician. She went onstage barefoot and casual, letting her voice mystify the audience, instead of her stage costumes. She sang in the Creole language of Cape Verde–a part-African, part-Dutch dialect, and though I can’t understand her words when she sings, her voice is always comforting (and reminds me of the songs from my own culture). We lost a powerful female artist this weekend, but we’re lucky to have had her for so long.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTw0c9ew3k 425×344]
Image Credit: Last FM
