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WORLD MARIZA Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 2 Mar

28-year-old Portuguese singer Mariza is now well on the way to becoming the first female world music star. Plenty of older singers like Cape Verde’s Cesaria Evora and Cuba's Omara Portuondo have made their names, mostly in London, but Mariza has become instantly known all over the UK, with sell-out concerts for her first

ever tour.

Was it replacing Bjork on Jools Holland? Is it her cool hair-style, bleached waves combed tight to her head? Her fantasy stage dresses designed by Joao Rolo? Her dramatic interpretation of her songs? Of course, it's all of these but most of all it‘s the way her extraordinary deep voice, full of the tiniest quivering trills, sings fado - the Portuguese blues - in a way that hits home. Even in the 21 st century people know exactly how it feels to be deeply lonely, hoping there will be someone somewhere

out there for them.

“‘Primavera", that‘s one of my favourites.’ she tells me.

“You know, the one about a girl who’s lost her love and she'd rather die than live. I really get into that. I started

crying when I first heard it. I don't know why because that kind of thing never happened to me. I'm happily married but when I sing that fado it hurts a lot inside. It hurts yet it feels good at the same time.’

Mariza's theory is that she owes her uncanny affinity with the music to growing up in the Moureria area of

Lisbon, home to Maria Severa. She was the prostitute-

singer who sang to the sailors looking for solace in the taverns, man who regularly departed never knowing when or if they’d return.

‘My generation has rediscovered fado. It lost its reputation when it became identified with the Salazar dictatorship in the 60$ and 705. But it is part of being Portuguese today and that’s me.’ Must be why her debut disc has gone platinum, why the Portuguese president invites her to sing, why she's won the BBC Radio 3 World

Music Europe Award. A truly modern diva. (Jan Fairley)

ithout reSOrting to boastfulness in regards to knowledge of Scottish

landmarks/fairground rides. is it only me who has noticed a remarkable similarity between Edinburgh's Christmas wheel. Glasgow's Valentine's wheel and Strathy Park's wheel? Isn't it magnificent that shunting a metal structure a few miles rOund a c0untry can completely alter the complexion of and emotional attachment to said structure? ideas for the future (if it doesn't go back to its original home next to Motherwell's famous septic ‘loch') might include the East Kilbride Easter Wheel. the Shotts Hallowe'en Wheel or the Aberdeen Thanksgiving Wheel. OK, I'll stop now.

Were it not fer the God-sent

Braithwaite

Scotland loves blg wheels, Jack loves Kling Klang but seemingly everybody loves Justin Tlmberlake . . .

coincidence that Celtic's first leg tie with Stuttgart clashed perfectly With the Brits. | w0uld be writing abOut the heinous annual parading of whatever shitehawks have made Woolwonh's the most money over the last 12 months. But thankfully l was spared land you in turn are spared my whinging) this nonsense by the fantastic Larsson-less Celtic's home Victory against Stuttgart. Writing this Will probably haunt me thOugh. as this magazine goes Out on the day of the second leg. With my luck we'll get pumped three-nil and I'll be heuseb0und during next year's Brits with my TV stuck on whatever channel is showmg it.

One of the ways we have in the studio of allaying the fear that Armageddon will have come to pass by the time we get

Our album out is by watching hOurs and hOurs of music television To enswe that Our minds are Suitably rotted by this medium. we are priw to MTV. MTV Hits. VH1. VH1 ClaSSic. MTV 2. MTV Base. MTV Dance. TMF. The Box. Kiss. Smash Hits. Magic. 0. Kerrangl. Chart Show TV, The Hits. P- Rock and U. It must be a miracle of Hawking-esque propertions that every one of these Channels can be simultaneOusly showmg Justin Timberlake. but believe me this is usually the case. Good drums but! Tonight we're going to see Rock Action proteges Kling Klang play round the corner at Stereo. It‘s been a good. if random. week for Liverpool's finest Kraut punx with them being bestowed with the highly unexpected but equally

weICOme honour of being single-of-the-

week in metal tome Kerrang.’ if that isn't strange enOugh they were given this title by Ozzy OSbOurne's son Jack. Such cataclysmic events have of c0urse not overshadowed the worldwide protest against war. but everyone else will write ab0ut that anyway.

Surface noise

All the charity. clarity and vinyl dis arity in the

wonde u/ world of music PROFESSOR PLASTIC‘S Vinyl Frontier, the place where a million callow Edinburgh youths formed and enhanced record collections of rare eclecticism, is to close. But fear not: it is only the premises that are closing. The current landlord of the shop wants to sell up by the end of March, so the Prof is hoping to shift as much of his classic stock before then as he can. The rest he will put into storage, and then he and his good lady and new child are moving to Sweden for a short while. On his return the Prof hopes to find new premises and take us all to the final vinyl frontier. In the meantime get yourself to Edinburgh‘s Richmond Street and rifle through those rare musical jewels.

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SAD NEWS IS THAT US RAP femme fatale Eve has been forced to cancel her date at Barrowland after her touring partner Nelly pulled out of their joint European tour. Ticket refunds are available and the hope is she will return early next year.

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