Susanna Sharpe has delighted Austin (Texas) audiences for a few
years now. Formerly associated with the Samba Police (together they
released an album, A Música das Almas, 1993), she
is a constant presence in the busy music scene of Austin. Though
she keeps her calendar full by performing at various venues throughout
the city, she managed to put together Catavento and release this
delicious Language of the Heart. As with previous Sharpe's
releases and performances, Catavento draws strongly from the Brazilian
songbook and also adds some other Latin American songs as well as
original compositions by group members. The result is a catchy release
with beautiful music, touching performances and excellent vocals
by Catavento.
Catavento
is Susanna Sharpe (vocals, percussion), Christian Fernandez (vocals,
guitars, percussion), Sérgio Santos (percussion) and David Pulkingham
(guitars, vocals). To say that Sharpe and Fernandez vocals are sublime
is clearly an understatement. Their voices complement each other
in tonal quality and diversity. Together they move from sensuous
Portuguese through charismatic Spanish and even a touch of
romantic French. Of course it helps that Fernandez was born in Marseilles,
France. The group is very careful in its arrangements, particularly
in maintaining the appeal that Brazilian music brings to foreign
audiences. The meticulous voice arrangements are noteworthy. The
opening track, "É Preciso Perdoar," starts with a beautiful vocal
harmonization that simply takes your breath away. Pulkingham's solo
guitar is like raindrops in a cool tropical night. The track grabs
your attention and makes you sway along with the soft rhythm
and Santos' cadenced percussion. "La Bamba" also gives Catavento
another chance to showcase their vocal skills, but it is with "Na
Baixa do Sapateiro" that you will be totally blown away with the
most remarkable introduction I've heard for that tune. The tight
harmonies created by Sharpe, Fernandez and Pulkingham lead into Sharpe's
crystalline solo. Sharpe is always surprising in her phrasing.
In "Eu Te Amo," for example, she is beautifully breathy, whereas
in "José Antonio" she's fiery. Undoubtedly, Catavento reaches memorable
moments when Sharpe and Fernandez playfully exchange lines in several
songs. "Izaura" is one such instance. It is, however, in "Joana Francesa"
that once again listeners are transported to a magical world through
Buarque's clever Portuguese and French lyrics interpreted with rare
beauty here. And to prove how well Catavento performs in other languages,
"Rumbera Mayor" is all you will need. Track after track Catavento
artistically impresses listeners with simple, acoustic arrangements
and beautiful vocal solos and harmonies.
You can read more about Language of the Heart and hear
sound samples here.
Egídio Leitão
June 2004
