Ana Moura Releases Decca Debut

International songstress Ana Moura announces her fifth studio album and Decca debut, Desfado. She has emerged as one of Portugal's leading voices of traditional Fado (which means "fate") with her mesmerizing interpretations of her country's soulful answer to the blues. To coincide with the release, Moura will embark on a North American tour taking her through major cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Washington DC, Minneapolis and more, kicking off February 28th (see dates below).

Desfado shows Moura embracing the emotional folk music of her country while injecting her own pop sensibility. The 14-track album was co-produced by multiple Grammy-winner Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux) and recorded at the famed Henson Recording Studio in Los Angeles. Desfado also features the legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock on "Dream of Fire" and quintessential saxophonist Tim Reis (Rolling Stones) on "Havemos De Acordar". To keep things fresh and modern, Moura wanted to collaborate with composers and musicians of her own generation as well as those outside of the Fado genre such as Virgem Suta, Miguel Araújo, Luísa Sobral, Pedro Abrunhosa and Manuel Cruz to name a few. She also worked with key players in the Fado world such as Ângelo Freire on Portuguese guitar and Pedro Soares on Fado viola. Other musicians featured on the album include David Piltch (Bob Dylan, k.d.lang) on double bass, Dean Parks (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder) on guitar, Jay Bellerose (Aimee Man, Ani DiFranco) on percussion, Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Bruce Springsteen) on the keyboard and violinist Freddy Koella (Lhasa, Carla Bruni).

The album showcases three tracks in English including a vulnerable rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Case of You", "Dreams of Fire" featuring Herbie Hancock on Fender Rhodes electric piano and the achingly soulful "Thank You". Other stand-outs include the beautiful "Até ao Verão" written by Márcia, the smoldering "Amor Afoito" and the title-track which derives its name from one of two themes composed by Pedro da Silva Martins from the band Deolinda.

To view a clip of her singing "Desfado" on Portugal's leading late night show "5 Para a Meia Noite" click http://tinyurl.com/am4k4r6.

Ana Moura' "smoky contralto" (New York Times) has grabbed the attention of music lovers from around the world. In 2007, Moura joined The Rolling Stones on stage where she sang "No Exceptions" with Mick Jagger, which she also later recorded for Tim Ries' Rolling Stones Project 2-(2008) along with her own interpretation of "Brown Sugar". The talented chanteuse has also shared the stage with Prince in Lisbon (2009) after he discovered her music online and then travelled to Paris to see her perform. During her live performances, Mora takes her audience on a musical Journey through the traditional genre, yet pushes the boundaries for a new generation to explore. If you love music in general, don't miss your chance to see Ana Moura in a city near you.

TOUR DATES
Thurs, February 28th San Francisco, CA Herbst Theatre
Fri, March 1st San Francisco, CA Herbst Theatre
Sat, March 2nd Seattle, WA Meany Theatre
Sun, March 3rd North Vancouver, BC Capilano University PAT
Tues, March 5th Victoria, BC Alix Gooden Hall
Thurs, March 7th Folsom, CA Three Stages
Sat, March 9th Napa, CA Nappa Valley Opera House
Tues, March 12th Modesto, CA Gallo Center for the Arts
Sat, March 16th Boston, MA Berklee Perf. Center
Mon, March 18th New York, NY City Winery
Wed, March 20th Washington, DC Lisner Auditorium
Fri, March 22nd Cleveland, OH Cleveland Museum/Gardner Aud.
Sun, March 24th Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club
Mon, March 25th Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club
Wed, March 27th Appleton, WI Eshe Hurvis Studio Warch Campus Center
Fri, March 29th Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
Sat, March 30th Savannah, GA Savannah Music Fest- Charles Morris Center
Sun, March 31st Savannah, GA Savannah Music Fest- Charles Morris Center
Wed, April 3rd Richmond, VA Modlin Center for the Arts
Thurs, April 4th Hanover, NH Hopkins Center for the Arts

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