Antologia is a 17-song greatest hits collection from the Portuguese chamber-pop group Madredeus, and contains the first American release of some of the group's late '80s/early '90s recordings. Madredeus--the name translates as "Mother God"--combines the convent-pure vocals of Teresa Salgueiro and impressionistic lyrics by cofounder Pedro Ayres Magalhaes with soothingly minimalist instrumental backing on guitar, cello, and keyboards. Imagine Hildegard von Bingen serenely sitting in with a New-Age Lisbon café orchestra and you'll get the drift. One occasionally catches a hint of a more vibrant world-music tradition--Portuguese fado, Argentine tango, even Europop electronica--and one new song about the Portuguese revolution was co-written with classical composer Antonio Vitorino d'Almeida. But Madredeus's music shares a hot tub and a bottle of wine quite comfortably with the likes of Yanni and Andreas Vollenweider. --Rick Mitchell
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