Amália Baraona: Everyday a Little Love

The Portuguese-born, Brasilian-bred and Macedonia-based Amália Baraona sounds like no other chanteuse who sings in Portuguese today. There are, however, times in her singing when – with a more continental intonation [as opposed to a Brasilian one] – she seems to echo the gilded “voz chorarei meu triste…” of a rainha herself: Amália Rodrigues. And yet, Ms. Baraona’s there is a distinct Brasilliance that shines through the repertoire of Everyday a Little Love.

Truth be told this is love that reflects more “…meu triste” than saudade, even though the very first song out of the gate Minha saudade is a song of longing – which is by iconic Brasilian legends, João Donato and João Gilberto. [For the record, the repertoire is almost completely comprised of songs by Donato, written with various other Brasilian composers].

Saudade and triste constantly intersect either directly [in the lyrics] or daub the thematic canvases in saturated colours and tone-textures throughout the repertoire – even when the lively Brasilian rhythms propel some of the songs [cue E vamos lá, for instance]. The darker hues and “voz chorarei meu triste…” themes – and bittersweet soundscape – have much to do with the fact that Ms. Baraona – who lives in Europe like the Berlin-based Marcia Bittencourt – is often filed with a longing for the air of Brasil and Portugal.

But the singer’s sense of longing – like a thoroughbred Brasilian is also informed by exuberance – that certain joie de vivre – that every Brasilian artist seems to exude from musical pore. It’s a natural part of being. And Ms. Baraona is no different, in that regard. Consequently, she makes this felt in the narratives sung in her characteristic throat-voice, eminently suited to telling stories. It may be noted that none of the songs are composed by her.

However, each of Mr Donato’s [as well as those composed by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo, and others] seem to speak to Ms. Baraona in the secret of her heart. And so, naturally, she makes them her own. Also remarkable is that her vision, artistry, and attitude to this music is infectious. As a result, she inspires the retinue of musicians to follow her heart, and thus each of the musicians bring something special to the music on this disc.

The significance of this does not go unnoticed, especially as all the musicians – except Cláudio Infante and Miss Baraona, of course – are non-Brasilian. Clearly the impact that Ms. Baraona has had on these musicians is enormous. All of these factors make this album quite unique – and quite special for an artist who – although she resides so far away from home – has Brasil embedded deep within her heart that palpitates longingly with love for Brasil.

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Tracks – 1: Minha saudade; 2: E vamos lá; 3: Entardecendo; 4: Jusqu’à la fin; [Até o fim]; 5: Amor nas estrelas; 6: Pra dizer adeus; 7: E muito mais; 8: Nunca mais; 9: Luz da canção; 10: Everyday [a little love]

Musicians – Amália Baraona: voice; Vasil Hadžimanov: piano, and arrangements [1, 6, 9, 10]; Petar Culibrk: piano, and arrangements [2 – 4]; Genti Rushi: piano and accordion, and arrangements [5, 7, 8]; Martin Gjakonovski: contrabass; Cláudio Infante: drums and percussion; Kiril Kuzmanov: flute and saxophone

Released – 2022
Label – Intek Music
Runtime – 41:54