“Sodad', sodad'/Sodad' des nha terra, São Niklau…” For Creole and non-Creole speakers alike, the refrain of one of Cesária Évora's most famous songs, “Sodade” from Miss Perfumado (1992) carries the heavy weight of melancholy, of nostalgia and longing.

The song, first written in 1950s and popularized by the plaintive voice of Évora, reverberates into the present, today performed by groups like The Cesária Évora Orchestra and the pop artist, Stromae. By analyzing and contextualizing the late singer's fourth album Miss Perfumado among a collection of celebrated albums by African performers of the mid-20th century, this book outlines new insights and connections between her contemporaries and one of Cesaria Evora's most internationally successful records ever made.