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Lucibela stopped by the Cedar Cultural Center in the middle of her U.S. tour on Friday to support her recently released album Amdjer. It was only a few years before that she introduced herself with the debut album Laço Umbilical announcing to the world there was a fresh face to carry on the Cape Verdean musical tradition started by Cesaria Evora.
The evening opened with the Douala Soul Collective, a two-man DJ Combo highlighting music from their Cameroon port city with an eclectic range of music highlighting African rhythms, zouk, funk, soul, jazz, cumbia, disco, hip hop, reggae, while spinning vinyl records and showing some impressive dance moves throughout the set.
Lucibela took the stage backed by three guitarists and one drummer. But it was her voice that was the highlight of the evening. A voice described by Banning Eyre of NPR as magnificent, liquid and effortless.
Lucibela brings a calm, graceful presence, revealing a warm smile that the Cedar Cultural Center website described as: “… a fresh breeze ruffling the bougainvillea blooms and wave tops.”
Luciebela is from Cape Verde, a collection of small rocky islands off the northwestern coast of Africa. Her hometown of Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, has a rich history of sailors from Brazil, Cuba, England and Portugal, making ports of call and bringing their own musical traditions.
Listening to Lucibela sway through her set, one is transported to her small island, a place where she started at an early age working in the hotels of the resort town of Santa Maria, with songs from the jazz, bossa nova and rock genre.
Lucibela has recently concentrated on the musical genres of her native Cape Verde, morna and coladera, which she said are folk songs that highlight daily life on the island. A good example is her music video Ti Jon Poca, where a farmer’s day involves dancing with his wife and tilling the rocky, arid soil in hopes of a little rain.
The set highlighted songs from both of her albums. Songs like Violeiro, expressing a beautiful longing; Amdjer Ká Bidje, a breezy bossa nova; and Zum Zum (Buzz Buzz), a song that brought the crowd to its feet and Curpim Sab, a song that brought everyone to the dance floor.
The highlight of the evening wasn’t the songs to dance to but the ones where the crowd sat down, the band stepped back and Lucibela stepped into the spotlight to reveal a depth with songs like Bombena, a slow ballad that revealed deeper shades and hues in her voice; Estronhe, a song that brought quiet stillness in a voice that expanded and subsided with wonderful restraint; and Negui which highlighted her dynamic range and ability to sustain a singular note that elicited a generous roar from the crowd.
To finish the evening Lucibela sang Mi E Dode Na Bô Cabo Verde, an apt song to let you know where it all began.
Lucibela U.S. Tour
9/18 – Analog – Nashville, TN
9/19 – Joe’s Pub – New York, NY
9/20 – Joe’s Pub – New York, NY
9/21 – Sellersville Theatre – Sellersville, PA
9/22 – Lotus – Bloomington, IN
9/23 – Swallow Hill Music – Denver, CO
Douala Soul Collective |
Douala Soul Collective |
Setlist |
Lucibela |
Lucibela |
Lucibela |
Lucibela at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (16 Sep 2022) |
| dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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