Plain Dealer, CD Review

On the dance floor, tango is dominated by the macho male who manipulates his partner through steamy moves. Tango songs, like the dance, frequently express male supremacy. But there is a place for women in the passionate music that was born more than 100 years ago in the bars and brothels of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Luna, who grew up performing in tango bars, defies tradition in the title song, which speaks of the birth of male tango. Other lyrics tell violent stories, paint portraits of male characters and mourn for a lost female love. Luna's earthy voice throbs with raw emotion. Her interpretations, like those of a Portuguese fado singer, smolder with intensity. Her accompanying musicians provide a variety of tone colors on bandoneon, piano, guitar, violin, cello and double bass, and they effectively mix tango rhythms with jazz licks. The singer, though named for the moon, is the star of the album. A. 07/04/04