Mariza - Transparente (2005)

Transparente is Mariza's "big" album, it seems, the one designed to make her more than just the shining star of the new fado. The music connects the dots between Portugal and Brazil, giving an international quality to it all. Her voice is as crystal clear as ever, and production by Jacques Morelenbaum is wonderfully transparent. Yet there's a sheen to it all that seems intended to rub off any rough edges. You can hear it in the soft strings that cushion "Meu Fado Meu." It just seems to be trying too hard, rather than letting the music unfold. It's apparent, too, in the fact that the songs are all short -- the longest barely passes three-and-a-half minutes. Not that it's not a gorgeous album; it enfolds the ears like silk; Mariza herself has never sounded more seductive, and the cello on "Quando Me Sinto So" is as warm and inviting as a lover's kiss. But unlike her previous work, there seems an air of calculation about all this, the sense of deliberately seeking out a larger audience rather than allowing the music to speak for itself. She'll never sing a bad note, and there's absolutely nothing to fault with this album. The arrangements are understatedly lush, the playing impeccable, everything as close to perfect as it's possible to be. But at heart, it just doesn't feel real.