Carmen Souza

5 STARS “Cape Verdean songstress Carmen Souza has it all: excellent repertoire, a nimble and versatile voice that glides effortlessly through a huge range of registers and a totally relaxed stage presence. Moreover, she swings like hell...”BIMHUIS Live Review-De Volkskrant, NL

“Last weekend Carmen Souza put on a spellbinding performance ... gliding between breathy ballads, sexy funana rhythms from her ancestral Cape Verde, and a beautiful cover of Horace Silver’s "Song From My Father."
CEDAR CENTER Live Review, Minnpost, Minneapolis, USA

Three Countries, Four Jazz Festivals by Laura Byrne Paquet for DREAMSCAPES MAGAZINE, CA "It was one of the most memorable shows I’ve experienced at any Jazz Festival.”

"Associated with names like Billie Holliday, Ella Fritzgerald and Nina Simone, Carmen Souza seems to know right where she wants to go, drinking in their influences while at the same time occupying her own space...In a single song, she delves into the warm and melodic registers of the great jazz divas, only to flee into more contemporary terrain immediately thereafter...the singer cloaks Cape Verdean music in new garb, this distancing herself from what is currently being done by other female Cape Verdean singers...another path for the evolution and renovation of morna or funaná, giving them a new breadth and life."
A Semana, Cape Verde

"Carmen Souza, The Jazz Krioula
Carmen Souza lived up to her reputation and won the audience in what was the first time on stage in the land of her origins....was a memorable night in the National Assembly" SAPO.CV, Cape Verde

"Singer/songwriter/guitarist Carmen Souza also stirred up a distinctive savory mixture of musical flavors. ..Souza, born in Portugal to parents from Cape Verde, sang her own songs in a voice that purred, snarled, keened and glided over wide intervals. Her sensual rhythms came from Cape Verdean forms like the batuke and the morna. Your mind did not know these rhythms but your body did. It was impossible not to move to “Africa.” Souza got a Congress Hall full of Latvians twitching in their seats and singing in Creole."
RIGAS RITMI 2011 Live Review-Thomas Conrad, JAZZ TIMES, USA

"Carmen Souza captured the audience with the first gig in Finland...Souza vocal expression is something absolutely original...fascinating!" Pirkko Kotirinta-HELSINGIN SANOMAT-FL

"unforgettable night... the performance received a standing ovation"
BURSA HABERLER-TR

"The audience was enchanted by the musical richness of Carmen Souza and her vocal resources, receiving a stand up ovation with right to an encore"
DALWTON MOURA (MUSIC CRITIC)-BR

PROMOTERS REVIEWS:

"what keeps us going are experiences like Carmen's performance on Saturday. This must surely rank as one of the best in our long history. Every aspect was superb music that managed to challenge but always remain accessible, revitalising a jazz vocal tradition but with Cape Verde styling’s that took it to a new level. Carmen's vocals were amazingly engaging throughout with beautiful songs enhanced by her on stage charisma which endeared her immediately to the audience...Carmen that at times it took your breath away.”
Rick Williams, Promoter, The Lift Global Music Club, UK

“We really loved having them. I was prepared to love Carmen, but what a fantastic band!” Rob Simonds, Promoter, Cedar Cultural Center, USA

“The concert was absolutely fantastic. The audience, mostly unfamiliar with Carmen's work yet eager and receptive, were left speechless and swept off their feet... Aside from her magnificent voice and multifaceted talent as a musician and songwriter, on the stage she exhibits a great deal of warmth and genuineness. Her
impeccable English helps her communicate with her audiences at yet another level, as she shares some details about her personal experience and philosophy that inspire each song.” Fernando Arenas, Promoter, University of Minnesota, USA

"When I invited Carmen Souza to Lisbon Mistura Festival 2009 had obviously listened to her music in CD and on myspace and the refinement of her voice; the arrangements have earned me immediately. But I had no idea how little I knew until Carmen Souza went on stage. At that time I was amazed at the strength and sweetness of her voice, her stage presence, musical quality and elegance of the performance of the group, either in their original songs or versions of other songs. It was a magical moment that was extended off stage, like it happens with the big artists." Carlos Martins, Musician and Artistic Director of Lisboa Mistura Festival, PT

"It was a real pleasure to have you in Rigas Ritmi Festival this summer, the audience was brought few meters above ground by your performance! Warm memories! Thank you!" Rigas Ritmi Festival, LATVIA

"Speechless to define Carmen Souza Show" - JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL - BR - Several

5 STARS “Carmen Souza is a promise!"
JAZZMAGAZINE-NL

4 STARS “...Verdade (Truth) looks to deserve its name in each word and each note, mixing traditional rhythms of the archipelago with multiple influences, mainly from Jazz.” EXPRESSO-PT

4 STARS “Superb second album...All sung with a sensuous richness and wrapped up in luscious sound steeped in the melodic jazz of Ella or Hancock, Jarret or Zawinul. Blissful stuff.” ROCK N REEL MAGAZINE-UK

4 STARS CUTTING EDGE-BE

"Carmen Souza’s rich voice soothes as much as it swings.”TIME OUT CHICAGO, USA

“For decades, the music of Cape Verde was identified with a single talent, the penetrating vocalist Cesária Évora. But in recent years, this group of islands off the west coast of Senegal in Africa has begun exporting more high-quality artists...Now add 27-year-old Carmen Souza — born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents — to the list...Souza has a charismatic, playful streak, earthier and less arty but otherwise not unlike Marie Daulne of Zap Mama.” MINNPOST- USA

“...Incredible authenticity...” INSIDE WORLD MUSIC-USA

"One of the most important figures of a generation of mixed-raced singers who despite not being born in Cape Verde are true ambassadors their ancestors’ culture." RADIO GROOVALIZATION-IR/PT

"Carmen Souza is carving her own little Afro-European jazz niche here — smooth but not too soft, mellow without being too laid-back, and with a neat approach to song-craft..."FLY-UK

“...The instrumentation is always Pure, uncluttered and acoustic. Souza has a wonderfully expressive voice, at times light and then rich and earthy. Her songs are never frivolous. She sings sincerely about the important issues of life, and indeed the title track means truth... This jazz interpretation of Souza’s Cape Verde home is wonderfully listenable and it’s an album I know I will often return to when I just want to relax and chill.”
TAPLAS-UK

"Despite being less known than Mayra Andrade, Lura and Sara Tavares, a Cape Verdean born in Lisbon (and is so natural to say this) Carmen Souza deserves, in its own right, to integrate the leading group of the best new singers from Cape Verde." TIME OUT LISBON-PT

“Carmen Souza’s music is not of the Lura or Sara Tavares variety really; rather, it’s an artful blend of traditional Cape Verdean rhythms with contemporary jazz and an intimate acoustic element.” CAIPIRINHA LOUNGE-PT

"...her (Carmen Souza) strength lies mainly in her incredible possessed, swingende, colourful voice. What a talent!"VRIJE GELUIDEN-NL

“...Her Cape Verde tradition is as soft and sensitive as a Laura Nyro ballad-it’s a smoky, dive bar Cape Verde of subtle progressions and syncopations, of Rickie Lee Jones harmonies and Diana Krall Crooning...”SONGLINES-UK

"Cultured singer who puts her own jazz spin on the music of her ancestral home, Cape Verde."THE TIMES-UK

“...distinctive fusion of classic, lilting Cape Verdean musical forms and Jazz."THE INDEPENDENT-UK

"Smouldering Cape Verdean afrobeat-tinged folk-jazz." Critic’s choice/Recomended, TIME OUT LONDON-UK

“What makes Carmen Souza sound unique is her compositions and her «Soul» Diva voice, that creates a kind of Contemporary Jazz based on the warmth and energy of the African melody."ÁFRICA TODAY MAGAZINE-PT

“...voice of diva of jazz - Full, deep, adaptable to any note, Low or high” A SEMANA-CV

“…Those islands situated on the coast of Senegal have an artistic richness without limits and one of its last works is Carmen Souza one.” ICAT.FM-SP

“Fascinating songs and music...Not to be missed.” SALSA-IT

PLUS RADIO AIRPLAY IN SEVERAL WORLD MUSIC PROGRAMES IN GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, SPAIN, BELGIUM, ITALY, CAPE VERDE, PORTUGAL, UK, CANADA, USA

MORE VERDADE REVIEWS AT: http://www.carmensouza-verdade-truthpressrelease.blogspot.com/ - Several

"Carmen Souza's vivacious "Protegid" opens a window to another world entirely." SONG OF THE DAY - NPR - USA

"Singing in a colourful, eclectic Portuguese-based Creole, Souza illuminates, stretches, and snaps back the elastic connections between Latin, African and Arabic music, American jazz and the music of Cape Verde. Souza conclusively proves that the "world music" evolution/revolution has transformed modern vocal as well as instrumental music." ALL ABOUT JAZZ-USA

"The whole disc is a landmark that will prompt you to embrace and at the same time rethink everything you know and love about the sounds of Cape Verde." WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL-USA

4 STARS "Sometimes this Cape Verdean singer's sound is pure Billie Holiday, sometimes she gives the impression of Eartha Kitt on speed, sometimes her vocal pyrotechnics evoke a young Cleo Laine..."
THE SCOTSMAN-UK


4 STARS "Suprising...gripping version of Cape Verdian Afro Jazz fusion." JAZZ MAGAZINE-NL

4 STARS "With songs that travel freely between Cape Verde, jazz and other worlds, Carmen Souza is the most original voices of the new Cape Verdean music...Incredible original voice...surprising version of "Sodade"... chilling "Mara Marga" TIME OUT LISBON-PT

4 STARS "It's tempting to compare any female Cape Verdean singer to the godmother of the island's indigenous morna music, Cesaria Evora, but that would be unfair to a vocalist as gifted, and as singular, as Carmen Souza...Souza's voice is a remarkably lithe instrument, sensual, percussive, soulful, and capable of exploring multiple moods within a given line of a given track." ALL MUSIC GUIDE-USA4STARS

"Carmen surprises us with an excellent record that has African flavor-based morna, though also invest in the globalization of her music." WORLD MUSIC MAGAZINE-SP

5 STARS “...genuine music-making...” CULTURE CAPITAL-UK
4 STARS- PARIS MOVE&BLUES MAGAZINE-FR
4 STARS- JAZZTHETIK-DE
4 STARS- ATHENS VOICE-GR

"The poetic voice is as original as the musical one...Backed with rippling accompaniments from a band blending Afro-Latin and contemporary jazz effects, she beats up a very unusual storm."
THE INDEPENDENT-UK

"Carmen Souza may share a Creole tongue with her Cape Verdean-rooted contemporaries, but that's where the comparisons end. Her voice is singular, mercurial and slightly androgynous. It has a kind of dawn-to-dusk range that approximates several performers simultaneously, bearing more relation to Billie Holiday or even Tom Zé than to Mayra Andrade or Sara Tavares." SONGLINES-UK

"This album is an excellent brain-food." JAZZTHING-DE

"Some adventurous and lively Cape Verdean action - Omar Sosa lends a hand but Carmen Souza can stand upon her own music feet, no question." WORLD MUSIC CHARTS EUROPE

"Protegid, the new album, is definitely a jazz album, and also definitely a Cape Verdean album...Carmen’s music reminds me of music back in the seventies, simultaneously solid and experimental, both inspiration and entertaining, elegantly serious and dancingly enjoyable..." BREATH OF LIFE-USA

"Imagine if Billie Holiday sang in Creole and revisited her African roots then you would be half way to describing the voice of Cape Verdean Carmen Souza. The globetrotting musician possesses one of the most out-of-this-world voices to come along in a long time." by Patricia Herlevi at WHOLE MUSIC EXP.-USA

"With the purr of the late Eartha Kitt, Carmen Souza pours the heart into her music, with the same effect...sensitive , intimate and vivaciuos all the things found in Souza's music."BOSTON POST-GAZETTE- USA

"Sophisticated and elegant, with a voice to match, Souza puts American jazz to the music of the Cape Verde Islands."THE STAR-CA

MARK OF EXCELLENCE "Souza croons and purrs her way through stunning track after stunning track. Driving hard on the lively "Tentê Midj," only to evoke aching despair on "Sodade," Souza's voice is the embodiment of emotion."EXCLAIM-CA

"Her voice, intuitive and powerful as the best jazz singers, is elegant even when she hits the limits of her personal proposal. [Carmen Souza is] one of those artists that with each new album makes an extensive exercise of her independence."
SONS DE LA MEDITERRANIA MAGAZINE-SP

“espectacular, flexible y brillante voz” RITMOS DEL MUNDO-SP

“This woman should go, by her own right, to the podium of the great female voices from Africa” B!RITMOS-SP

"Carmen Souza is certainly one of the most interesting voices of the new generation of so-called World Music...World Music with Class" MESCALINA- IT

"Carmen Souza, c'est une pincée de Billie Holiday, un soupçon de Nina Simone et un côté rebelle à la Mina Agossi. Énergisante!" JAZZFRISON-FR

"on her latest (excellent) album, Protegid, she wraps her husky pipes around deliciously slinky, jazzy numbers and sprightly Afro beats with equal ease."TIME OUT NEW YORK-USA

"Cape Verde meets Afro-Latin meets contemporary jazz. That spicy mix is filtered through a singular voice and style that some have compared to Billie Holiday, others to Nina Simone." NPR, USA

"Carmen Souza ignites amazing musical fireworks with her voice."
Hessischer Rundfunk, DE

"Carmen Souza is one of those amazing talents that takes you by surprise - in a number of ways. When she speaks and sings, you can hear the echos of her Creole roots. The bravery of her performances harkens back to a time that some of us don't remember"
HYBRID JAZZ , USA

NOMINATED FOR THE GERMAN RECORDS CRITIC’S AWARD (2010)
WORLD MUSIC CHARTS EUROPE –WMCE (APRIL 10)
WORLD MUSIC CHARTS EUROPE – WMCE (AUGUST 10)
GRAMMIES PRE-NOMINATION FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC ALBUM (2010)

more reviews : www.carmensouza.com - Several

4 STARS “Sensitive and intimate, but also very positive and overwhelming, this way of singing is an independent creative path. Sometimes in hard-driving, other times sweating in low heat, who doesn’t know her goes from surprise to ecstasy, ‘Sodade’ brushes dangerously the outrage of leaving other titles without reference.”
A.L.N._JORNAL EXPRESSO_PT

4 STARS “Stripped and raw but with an intense beauty and very close to what is the way the two compose together…superb versions…”
A.Pires_TIME OUT LISBON_PT

“”London Acoustic set” builds with a disarming simplicity a summary of the work of the duo, showing a higher dimension of their work of composition and interpretation….It’s even touching…Mandatory”
Rui Dinis_A TROMPA_PT

"a singer/songwriter that has blossomed into a confident and sparkling performer, ‘finding’ her voice and glowing in its magnificent powers...In this CD, Carmen glides effortlessly across a range of languages and octaves, proving without a doubt that she is indeed a woman of the world!"
DJ RITU_SOAS Radio_UK

“…Has an unstoppable tone that mixes a Cape Verdean “accent” with other sounds and chords from World Music. With Theo Pas’cal-“mentor, friend, producer and fellow traveler”-has been building a unique style…after the deceased Orlando Pantera, she is the musical expression of modernity in the Cape Verdean roots. It will go far, is already on the way.”
A.L.N_ JORNAL EXPRESSO_PT

“Carmen Souza is difficult to categorize, but easy to like….in recent years she created her own sound: Cape Verdean roots, but riddled with various inflections of jazz and African music.”
João Bonifácio_JORNAL PUBLICO_PT

“Afro-cuban music, jazz, morna and references born of decades of rhythmic fusions are swallowed, distended and recycled in the development of an ecstatic authorial profile. Carmen and Theo present themselves in a raw, undisturbed, and unbreakable demonstration that regardless of the radicalism of their proposal, the lush inner beauty and exuberant objectivity is never compromised!”
MBARI_PT

“Fascinating…the pieces are just skin and bones, stripped back to it’s essence”FOLKER_DE

“Stunning Album…”Ton Maas_CONCERTZENDER_NL

“Work of incredible intensity…wonderful collection of original compositions and covers…A feast for the senses!”
MELODIVA_DE

“Songs with a very special energy and power, with Carmen Souza voice shining in all colours...an album which is not only a anniversary album but an album of Folk music and beautiful melodies, as well as a compilation of their music"
DIGITALE JAZZ-ZEITUNG_DE

“The duo electrifies the soundwaves…favorite for world jazz, Cape Verde, Portuguese, and improvisational music fans."
INSIDE WORLD MUSIC_UK

"A Live recording that demonstrates why Cape Verdean Carmen Souza has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting talents emerging in the field of "World Music" in recent years…Improvisations of high artistic value are created around the personal voice of the singer, and confirm that Carmen Souza does not have to decide whether her music is jazz or "world music". Her style is just as unique as convincing and her Cape Verdean roots as evident as her desire to create a new language under the label of "world jazz"
ZONA DE COMPRAS_SP

- Publico (PT), Expresso (PT), Time out Lisbon (PT), SOAS Radio (UK), Concertzender(NL), Folker (DE),

"It’s a voice that whispers in the ear songs that we miss, without ever have listened to them. The identification is immediate, as it is cape verdean music, but with a different approach, sort of soul/afro jazz. Morna, Cola, Batuk, make the sensing party and introduce Carmen Souza in the middle of the cape verdean artists that diasporize music from the archipelago"
By Matilde Dias, Lantuna, Cape Verde

“Ess ê Nha Cabo Verde,” an album, which reflects the evolution of Capeverdean music and blends perfectly into the contemporary/soul backdrop.“Ess ê Nha Cabo Verde,” an assemblage of global sounds and rhythms, introduces rich instrumentation and evocative arrangements that merge impeccably with Carmen’s soft, soothing, and whispery voice.Superbly crafted by bassist/producer Theo Pas’cal, “Ess ê Nha Cabo Verde” has elements of traditional Capeverdean (Batuku, Kola San Djon, and morna) and African sounds, strongly cemented with Western Jazz/acoustic soul and contemporary influences, thus revitalizing appreciably her repertoire.Interpreted with enthusiasm and groovy aptitude, this record showcases Carmen’s excellent songwriting chops, mainly through her storytelling style drawn from her life experience, which is her way of giving value to her country’s tradition and culture...“Ess ê Nha Cabo Verde,” a 10-track album, is an impressive introduction to a promising young and talented singer..."
by Osvaldo dos Reis, CV

“A very adventurous premier for an eclectic singer that takes the listener from point A to point B and beyond.”****Calabashmusic, USA

“An album of fusions, where the small Cape Verde sovereignty emerges in the voice, the Creole and the poetry of Carmen Souza…”A Semana, Cape Verde

"...Carmen fuses Cape Verdean influences with American jazz and soulmusic...While Carmen's vocal inflections at times lean towards soul music, shecould certainly up the ante of soul music in the American music industry withher pioneering spirit, vocal prowess and tight, uncluttered arrangements..."by Patty - Lynne Herlevi, Worldmusiccentral.org, USA

"...Truly peerless, Souza should be on the tip of everyone's tongue when theydiscuss this years best world music albums..." by J-Sin, Smother Magazine, USA

"...This album creates a unique mix of Cape Verde/roots/jazz and needs make noapology to any purist that need to identify recognizable traditions. The resultof this collaboration of irrefutable musical expertise and smooth wholesomeharmonies has produced a perfect pearl..."
by Marilyn Pannett, Littlehampton Gazette, UK

“Her persistence, combined with a continuous willingness to learn and grow artistically, mixed in with her whispery vocals over soulful uplifting music all led to a brilliantly mastered album.”
by Núria Chantre, Sodade Magazine, USA

Right from the start the audience was captivated by her soulful voice and drawn by her likeable presence, the hypnotic melodies and subtle arrangements. An easy rapport developed with the crowd, who, by the end of the set, would have welcomed many encores."
By Kathryn Burrington, LoudNews Magazine, UK

"Carmen’s sexy soft voice sung Portuguese all night but that didn’t seem to matter as she cast a spell on the audience. A suberb night by any standard and left the audience wanting to hear more from her..."Amberley Folk CLUB, UK

"The scope of African music is growing because of artists like CarmenSouza...Carmen Souza's music, really, is about hope and optimism. This makes ita true gift."
by David Fujino, thelivemusicreport, CANADA

“Quand Carmen Souza commence à chanter, les anges l'accompagnent...Elle apportedans ses bagages l'héritage du Cap Vert qu'elle mélange et manipule à sa façonpour nous transmettre une nouvelle musique aux accents Soul, Jazzé par bout ettoujours unique..."
by Gabriel H. Osson-choq fm, CANADA

"...Her velvety voice filled the intimate venue and hypnotized the audience.The multi-talented Carmen, changing from keyboard to guitar and back again,performed songs from her excellent recently released album, 'Ess ê nha Cabo Verde..."By Michael Mills, UK









- VARIOUS

"Die junge kapverdische Sängerin Carmen Souza hat ein wunderbar ausdrucksstarkes, zugleich zurückgenommenes, fast erotisches Stimmorgan...Die Musik ist durchdacht, intelligent, auf handgespielte Gitarren, Bässe und Drums konzentriert. Aber immer wieder auch auf die unverzichtbare Perkussionsinstrumente, die den kulturellen Hintergrund und die große musikalische und kulturelle Bedeutung des winzigen Inselstaates, den Kapverdischen Inseln, untermauern... Wer auf kapverdische Musik steht, wird sich bei “Verdade“ zu Hause fühlen." 7/10 by Michael Arens at SOULTRAIN, Germany

"Die nicht minder begabte kapverdische Musikerin Carmen Souza belässt es ebenfalls nicht beim Repetieren traditioneller Musik von der kleinen Inselgruppe im Atlantik. Auf die Kompositionen eines oder einer gewissen Yeshwa singt sie versiert und selbstbewusst, oft im Stile einer Laura Nyro oder Rickie Lee Jones, ihre portugiesischen Texte (die dreisprachig im Booklet wiedergegeben werden). Begleitet von einer über die halbe Welt verteilten Musikerschar reiht sie sich mit dieser Produktion ein in die grosse Musiktradition eines kleinen Landes und an die Seite von Mayra Andrade, Maria de Barros, Teofilo Chantre, Tcheka, Tiolino und anderen."
by cinesoundz, Germany

"Schlicht produziert, Wirkt "Verdade", das neue album der jungen kapverdeianischen Sängerin Carmen Souza, Sehr erfrischend.Doch auch ohne hightech-produktion steckt die musik an. Zarte und sehr beschwingte lieder sing souza, in denen sie viel raum Für ihre Mitmusiker lässt und sie der Musik Zeit lässt, sich zu entwickeln.Ihre musik ist eine schöne Mischung aus der leichten kapverdischen musik, portugisischem fado und etwas jazz. Ihre stimme passt perfekt...."Verdade" ist ein gelungenes und überaus reifes album einer noch jungen künstlerin."
by Norbert Jäger at Weltmusik-Magazin, Germany

- SOULTRAIN, CINESOUNDZ, WELTMUSIK-MAGAZINE