Uxía

Like Cher and Madonna, Galician singer Uxía only needs one name; people at home know who she is. After a stint as the voice of the famous group Na Lua, Uxía moved on to a solo career as one of the few outstanding singers on the Galician music scene. Her latest CD, Estou Vivindo No Ceo , finds Uxía singing traditional Galician songs, as well as a few from medieval manuscripts. Co-arrangers Nacho Muñoz and Quico Comensaña introduce her powerful, earthy vocals into a variety of different settings, from tender sadness on the title track to energetic Celtic music on "Aquestas Noites Tan Longas," piano jazz on "Canto de Nadal" and on to world-music fusion on "Tua Nai E Meiga." The common thread to most of the arrangements, besides Uxía's distinctive voice, is that they feature Muñoz's piano and keyboard playing prominently. In general, this is fine; the only criticism I have is an over-reliance on keyboard washes on a couple of the slow songs. The lush droning threatens to homogenize the sound of the various voices and instruments. Luckily, this occurs only rarely on Uxía's album, which also uses Basque accordion, North African percussion, European violins, mandolins and cellos, and, of course, Galician gaita to realize its ambitious meld of Galician and other musics.