Camané: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Great fado singers sound as if they carry the weight of the world’s sadness. They don’t just wear their hearts on their sleeves — they bare their souls. Fado, which means “fate“ in Portuguese, emerged from the gritty barrios and docks of Lisbon in the early 19th century and has evolved in fascinating ways. Think of it as the Portuguese blues. The songs aren’t just sad. They flow with an ineffable mix of longing, loss and melancholy, framed in resignation. It’s a kind of glad-to-be-unhappy feeling the Portuguese and Brazilians call saudade. Camané, with his silky baritone, can emote with the best of them, but never takes it over the top. This voice, with its volume and sheer beauty, springing from this small-framed man is something to behold. Camané, whose full name is Carlos Manuel Moutinho Paiva dos Santos Duarte, got hooked on fado by listening to his parents’ record collection. He began singing as a teenager and has emerged as a shining star of his generation, a standout male singer in a genre dominated