Fado, the passionate, powerful music of Portugal, was -- and still is -- sung in the local bars and small eateries for working people. The music's spirit is saudade, a word that translates roughly as nostalgia, melancholy or longing, though mixed with happiness and love. Fado's greatest singer was Amalia Rodrigues. She revived the traditions while redefining its boundaries, and introduced the music of her native Lisbon to the world.

Amalia's recordings caught the ears of an aspiring singer who spent her time growing up in Kyushu and Kyoto -- Mio Matsuda. Matsuda's initial interest grew to a passion and has resulted in her first CD "Atla^ntica." Matsuda's pure and natural style was learned in the many casa do fado in Lisbon, where she went to learn fado's uniquely expressive style from the local singers and musicians.

Perhaps because of her lively personality and easygoing nature, her music not only contains the deeply poignant tones of fado, but also the joyous rhythms of Brazil and Cape Verde, two other stops on her musical world tour. On the CD, her mature vocals are supported by an international group of acoustic musicians.