Lia Pamina e Os Peregrinos

To be honest I'm not quite sure why the Castellón cantante y compositora Lia Pamina - or Rosalía Díaz as she's better known to familia y amigos - and who to date has primarily recorded in English, hasn't made a larger impression on the notoriously insular anglophone music world - although I suspect 'notorious' and 'insular' may have something to do with it. Possessor of one of the softest, sweetest and soothing of voices and which is similar in style to Astrud Gilberto, Claudine Longet, Margo Guryan and jazz singer and pianist Blossom Dearie - and yes, I plucked those names from her biography, but listen and you'll have to concur - Lia's voice also exudes a delightful and mischievous glint that I guarantee will melt the coldest of hearts, and which is perfectly attuned to her disarmingly addictive retro-sixties style…

So I was really looking forward to her latest record, especially as she's collaborating once again with the eclectic Galician duo of Charlie Mysterio and Roger de Flor - who as Os Peregrinos craft a heady concoction that mixes elements of pop, folk, bossa nova and electronica - whose contribution with Lia for a cover of Dana's "It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas (Unas Navidades Tan Frías)" never fails to raise a smile and a sigh…

Their latest collaboration, "Lúa Descolorida: Tributo A Rosalía De Castro", is a gorgeous homage to the poetry of the Galician poet and novelist María Rosalía Rita de Castro; four of her poems exquisitely performed by Lia in their native Galician - a language which to these ears sounds like a mezcla of Spanish and Portuguese - and all coloured with soothing folclórico, Brazilian rhythms and a smattering of 60s pop…

The EP opens with "Follas Novas" - the title of an anthology of Rosalía De Castro's poetry - a track that is not only a gorgeous pop song but also one which defines the process as to how this EP marries contemporary music to 19th century Galician poetry. Not only does this song highlight the gossamer beauty of Lia's voice but also Roger's sympathetic arrangements. It's a song that drips with 60s pop melodies, gentle guitar, a chorus to die for and note-perfect harmonies with a surprising and uplifting middle eight filled with bubbly Casio pop arpeggios which rises and then falls as the arresting chorus and harmonies fade to the end. It's an approach which arguably contrasts with that of Romane's poésie, but the end result is equally as impressive.

Given that the Galician language to these untrained ears shares many traits with Portugese - the neighbour across the Minho River - and if 'Translate' is doing justice to Rosalía De Castro prose, I'd suggest there's more than a hint of "saudade" woven through the words of "¿Por Que?" However, unlike Fado where the composition amplifies that feeling of longing and loss, here the mournful words of love long lost are wrapped in sweet tones of the dulcet fusion that is música popular brasileira, coating the song with a relaxing and warming tropical vibe. This arrangement of strings and percolating synths when combined with Lia's translucence and the vocal harmonies really turn this song on its head.

As I've discovered, the EP's title track "Lúa Descolorida" has also been set to music. Adapted and arranged by the Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov and premiered back in 1999 by the American soprano Dawn Upshaw, this was an interpretation that really heightened that sense of saudade - and which benefits from a far more sympathetic translation than any website I know can provide... Here, Lia and Os Peregrinos again revisit and reimagine those heady bossa-infused Brazilian rhythms, adding colour to the moon of the song's title. It's a totally different interpretation to Golijov's operatic work as once again the song's accompaniment and vocals come together as one, both contrasting to the sadness being conveyed. If only heartbreak sounded or felt this uplifting in real life.

The EP's closing track "Paz Desexada" permeates with the inviting tones of Lucas Rousse's trumpet as the song wraps itself around another lilting bossa nova rhythm and is once again filled with the Lia's delicate vocals and those oh so perfect harmonies. Once more there's this delicious juxtaposition between the alluring warmth of the melody and the overwhelming feeling of sadness and emptiness that the lyrics express.

To be honest I don't really need an excuse to buy a Lia Pamina record as I know it's going to leave me in a happy place. But this is such an immense collection of songs and it would be remise not to acknowledge the fingerprints of Os Peregrinos who have left their indelible traces everywhere. There's also the debt owed to a 19th century Galician poet, proving how relevant her words are today, more than 130 years after her untimely death…

Lia Pamina (Facebook)
Os Peregrinos (Facebook)
"Lúa Descolorida: Tributo A Rosalía De Castro" (Bandcamp)