This week, I’ve had Dolores Duran’s “Only You” #OnRepeat. One great thing about setting your music to “shuffle” is that you can discover music that you’ve downloaded months ago and forgotten about. I’ve been on a ballad song binge lately, mostly because the slower tempo allows the singer to really show off their own interpretation of the song and their voice, and Duran’s version is no exception.
Dolores Duran (born Adiléa Silva da Rocha) is a singer and songwriter from Brazil. She began singing as a young girl on the radio and later in nightclubs, recording her first album in her early twenties. Dolores Duran would’ve had a long and successful career had she not had a heart-attack at the age of 29. Some of her most well known songs are “A Noite do Meu Bem,” “Por Causa de Voce,” “Se É por Falta de Adeus,” and “Solidão.”
“Only You” is a classic love song whose lyrics say that only that one person can make everything better, and that this overall effect that this person has on them and their life is what they consider to be love. Dolores Duran’s interpretation sounds closer to 1940s and 50s American Pop and Jazz music, which can be somewhat surprising since her first language was Portuguese. Her voice is deep and full, with a nice mixture of vibrato. Some might assume that Brazilian singers don’t typically use much vibrato in performance (I haven’t heard many that do), since popular Brazilian music of the time, like Bossa Nova, characteristically didn’t call for it. However, if you listen to music from countries outside the United States during this time, you’ll find similarities in interpretation, performance technique, and sound. Knowing all of this, though, Dolores’ voice is still quite striking to listen to. Her voice truly brings out the angst and depth in the lyrics–truly almost heart-breaking to listen to, even if it is a song about the profession of love.
Take a listen below:
Are there any singers or songs that you can’t stop listening to? Leave a comment below!