Mariza

Pretty much everywhere in the world but here, Mariza is a bona fide superstar. In a Susan Boyle-like moment, the Mozambique-born chanteuse found instant fame in Europe when she performed a stirring musical tribute to the queen of fado: Amália Rodrigues. Thriving long after her 15 minutes, Mariza has returned to her Portuguese blues roots (known as fado) on Fado Tradicional. Ditching her usual mix of trumpet- and piano-fuelled flamenco/jazz, Mariza serenades the listener with only a classical guitar and her commanding voice. Though her delivery, which carries most of the album's tracks, has become a bit more worn and meditative, a newfound sense of gravity is given to songs like "Promete, Jura," "Mais Uma Lua" and "Desalma." Over the years, Mariza has become enough of an enterprise that she can give Portugal's most beloved music her unique spin and call it Tradicional.