Desfado

Desfado
Light-blue toned picture of a smiley woman. She looks at the camera as she has her hands grabbing her neck. She has short black hair, and wears a dress of the same colour. To her right the text "Ana Moura" is written in black capital letters, and below it "Desfado".
Studio album by Ana Moura
Released 12 November 2012[1]
Recorded May 2012; Henson Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)[2]
Genre Fado, jazz
Length 61:40
Label Universal (Portugal), Decca
Producer Larry Klein
Ana Moura chronology

Leva-me aos Fados
(2009)		 Desfado
(2012)
Singles from Desfado
  1. "Até ao Verão"
    Released: 15 October 2012[3]
  2. "Desfado"
    Released: 7 January 2013[4]

Desfado is the fifth album by Portuguese fado singer Ana Moura. It was produced by Larry Klein and was released on 12 November 2012 in Portugal through Universal Records, and in the United States by Decca Records. Met with generally positive reviews by music critics, the album counted with the participation of the songwriters Manel Cruz (vocalist of Ornatos Violeta), Márcia Santos, Pedro da Silva Martins (member of the quartet band Deolinda), António Zambujo, and Pedro Abrunhosa for the composition of the themes, among many others. Herbie Hancock and Tim Ries contribute in the album, the first being featured in the song "Dream of Fire", written by Moura, and Ries in "Havemos de Acordar".

Two singles were released from Desfado, "Até ao Verão" and "Desfado". The album also includes a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "A Case of You" (1971). The album topped the Portuguese Albums Chart and since then it has been certified 2× Platinum by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. It also appeared in the charts of Belgium, Spain and the United States.

Reception

Commercial reception

Desfado debuted at number 2 on the Portuguese Albums Chart in the week ending 24 November 2012. For 31 weeks the album remained into the top ten until it managed to top the chart in the week ending 15 June 2013. Overall, the album has been in the first place of sales in Portugal for 6 weeks, and until November 2014 the album had not left the Top 20.[5] The album was certified 2× Platinum by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.[6] While the album debuted and peaked at number 198 in the Belgium region Wallonia,[7] in Spain Desfado debuted and peaked at number 39 on 24 February 2013.[8]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
The Guardian [9]
Jazz Weekly Positive[10]
The New York Times Positive[11]
PopMatters 7/10[9]

Desfado was met with generally positive reviews by music critics. Robin Denselow wrote for The Guardian that Moura performed in the album "exquisite as ever", but he considered the decision of using additional instruments to her fado trio as a mistake. Denselow noted an exception with the song "Dream of Fire", where American pianist Herbie Hancock is featured, and Denselow thought his contribution was "fine".[9] In her review for PopMatters, Deanne Sole prasied Moura's voice saying it makes the album "good, [because of her] strong unwavering contralto, excellent on the sad-hopeful tone".[12] The New York Times reviewer, Nate Chinen, suggested Desfado to be "renovator" and wrote it presents Moura's "ambitions even if she had stuck to Portuguese".[11] While Mariano Prunes asserted to say Moura combines "tradition with modernity",[13] George W. Harris for Jazz Weekly said even if the listener does not understand Portuguese lyrics, they could be felt, as Moura "sings around bouyant, bouncy and festive strums and sensuous string picking."[10]

In July 2014, the live version of the album, Desfado, ao Vivo em Alfama, which was recorded in the September 2013 Alfama Fado Festival, won the Amália Award for "Best Album".[14][15]

Desfado Tour

To promote Desfado, Moura did several performances worldwide through her concert tour Desfado Tour.

Date City Country
Europe[16]
16 November 2012 Leiria Portugal
23 November 2012 Portimão
24 November 2012 Faro
7 December 2012 Tróia
8 December Torres Novas
14 December Fafe
18 January 2013 Castelo Branco
19 January 2013 Albergaria-a-Velha
24 January 2013 Lisbon
25 January 2013
26 January 2013 Porto
27 January 2013 Mainz Germany
31 January 2013 Geneva Switzerland
1 February 2013 Zürich
2 February 2013 Friedrichshafen Germany
North America[16]
28 February 2013 San Francisco United States
1 March 2013
2 March 2013 Seattle
3 March 2013 Vancouver Canada
5 March 2013 Victoria
7 March 2013 Folsom United States
9 March 2013 Napa
12 March 2013 Modesto
16 March 2013 Boston
20 March 2013 Washington D.C.
22 March 2013 Cleveland
23 March 2013 Chicago
24 March 2013 Minneapolis
25 March 2013
27 March 2013 Appleton
29 March 2013 Durham
30 March 2013 Savannah
3 April 2013 Richmond
4 April 2013 Hanover
Europe[16]
7 May 2013 Deventer Netherlands
9 May 2013 Groningen
10 May 2013 Brussels Belgium
11 May 2013 Eindhoven Netherlands
North America[16]
7 October 2013 Saltillo Mexico
8 October 2013 Monterrey
9 October 2013 Torreón
11 October 2013 Durango
12 October 2013 León
13 October 2013 Guanajuato
14 October 2013 Metepec
16 October 2013 Villahermosa
18 October 2013 Querétaro
19 October 2013 Morelia
20 October 2013 Mexico City
21 October 2013 Pachuca
29 October 2013[17] Mexico City
Europe[16]
3 November 2013 Stockholm Sweden
4 November 2013 Oslo Norway

Track listing

Standard edition[18]
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Desfado"  Pedro da Silva Martins 2:35
2. "Amor Afoito"  Nuno Figueiredo, Jorge Benvinda 4:05
3. "Até Ao Verão"  Márcia Santos 4:07
4. "Despiu a Saudade"  Paulo Abreu de Lima, António Zambujo 3:36
5. "A Case of You"  Joni Mitchell 5:03
6. "E Tu Gostavas De Mim"  Miguel Araújo Jorge 2:46
7. "Havemos de Acordar" (featuring Tim Ries)Pedro da Silva Martins 5:18
8. "A Fadista"  Manuela de Freitas, Pedro Rodrigues dos Santos 4:12
9. "Se Acaso Um Anjo Viesse"  Aldina Duarte, Adriano Batista 1:42
10. "Fado Alado"  Pedro Abrunhosa 4:20
11. "A Minha Estrela"  Hermano Sobral, Luísa Sobral 2:48
12. "Thank You"  David Poe 3:56
13. "Como Nunca Mais"  Tozé Brito 2:57
14. "Com A Cabeça Nas Nuvens"  Mário Rainho, Fontes Rocha 2:12
15. "O Espelho de Alice"  Nuno Miguel Guedes, Armando Machado 3:11
16. "Dream of Fire" (featuring Herbie Hancock)Ana Moura 4:23
17. "Quando o Sol Espreitar de Novo"  Manel Cruz 4:30

Credits and personnel

Desfado was recorded at Henson Recording Studio, located in Hollywood, while vocals were recorded at Market Street Studio, Santa Mónica, California, and Estúdio Pontozurca, in Almada, Portugal:[2]

Chart positions and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[7] 198
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[5] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[8] 39
US Billboard Top World Albums[20] 7

Certifications

Country Certification Shipments
Portugal (AFP) 2× Platinum[6] 30,000

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Portugal[16] 12 November 2012 CD and digital download Universal Records Portugal
Poland[16] 22 January 2013 Universal Records
Spain[16] 5 February 2013
United States[16] 26 February 2013 Decca Records
United Kingdom[16] 1 April 2013 Universal Records

References

  1. ↑ "Ana Moura – 'Até ao Verão'". Ana Moura Official YouTube Channel. YouTube. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Desfado (Compact Disc). Ana Moura. Hollywood: Universal Records Portugal. 2013. 6 02537 22858 4.
  3. ↑ "Até ao Verão – Single" (in Portuguese). iTunes Store Portugal. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Desfado – Single" (in Portuguese). iTunes Store Portugal. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ana Moura – Desfado". Portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "A&E – Top Afp" (in Portuguese). Artistas & Espectáculos. November 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ana Moura – Desfado" (in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Ana Moura – Desfado". Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Denselow, Robin (4 April 2013). "Ana Moura: Desfado – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harris, George W. (11 March 2013). "Ana Moura: Desfado". Jazz Weekly. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chinen, Nate (25 February 2013). "Albums From Atoms for Peace, Ana Moura and Antonio Sanchez". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  12. ↑ Sole, Deanne (12 April 2013). "Ana Moura: Desfado". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  13. ↑ Prunes, Mariano. "Ana Moura – Desfado Album Review" (in Spanish). Rovi Corporation (archived through 97.7 HTZ-FM, owned by Bell Media). Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "Ana Moura vence Prémio Amália para o Melhor Disco" (in Portuguese). JornalIOnline. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Ana Moura distinguida com «Prémio Amália» pela 2ª vez" (in Portuguese). TVI 24 (Televisão Independente). 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 "Disco A1: Ana Moura "Desfado"" (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "Ana Moura, la Voz del Fado, llega al Lunario el 29 de octubre" (in Spanish). Radio Fórmula. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  18. ↑ "Desfado – Ana Moura" (in Portuguese). iTunes Store Portugal. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Desfado (Deluxe Edition) – Ana Moura" (in Portuguese). iTunes Store Portugal. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "Desfado – Ana Moura". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2014.

External links