Recently Galician diva Uxía’s World Village release, “Eterno Navegar” came my way. Contributed by: Patricia Herlevi World Music Central
Luns, Marzo 30th, 2009The Celtic Wave of Galicia, Music from Northwest Spain - Part I
I fell in love with it first listen. This recording brings out another side of Galicia that I had not heard before which combines influences from its Portuguese neighbor (Uxía’s vocals even take on a fado singer quality at times), including fado and West African sounds, rhythms, and moods.
If there are any bagpipes appearing on this recording, I don’t recall hearing any. In fact, I thought Uxía was Portuguese when I first heard her sing and I was reminded of a favourite fadista of mine, Cristina Branco. I could have started off this article with a quote by Uxía from her album.
“Sailing while savoring the waves of the sea that draws closer and mingles currents, counting, singing and adding voices…the salty scents and tastes of Cape Verde and even the solitude of Costa da Morte in Galicia; to travel down the green Miño and the desert on a bright day and at dusk; to play the sweet Galician melodies to the rhythm of African drums distill a unique perfume that merges fado, alalá and morna.”
But if I had started off with such a luscious quote, would I need to sit here and try to describe this global musical stew, that is on one hand unique and on the other hand, so familiar to my ears? Uxía has not just opened a door for me, she set loose the flood gates and my appetite for Galician music has just begun…
http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/Celtic_Wave_of_Galicia_part_1