album rating: ★★★☆☆
Genre: Galician traditional music / world music / Celtic / folk. Estou Vivindo no Ceo ('I Am Living in the Sky') is one of the essential albums in the history of Galician music, and the record that established Uxía Senlle (born Sanguiñeda, Mos, Galicia, 1962) as an internationally recognised voice of the Galician musical tradition. Uxía had begun her career in 1985, formed the group Na Lúa, and released a solo album in 1991 before recording this breakthrough work. The album was produced by Júlio Pereira, an indisputable figure of Portuguese popular music, whose involvement underscores the deeply Galician-Portuguese perspective of the project — a natural reflection of the cultural and linguistic continuum that unites Galicia and Portugal. Arrangements were by Nacho Muñoz, Uxía's long-time musical collaborator. The album draws on medieval troubadour manuscripts, traditional songs from Galicia and Portugal, and original compositions, setting them in arrangements that combine chamber music and folk instrumentation — keyboards, mandolin, harp, cello, violin, bagpipes and Irish flute. The mood ranges from earthy meditations to jazz-tinged pieces and hybrid songs incorporating Armenian and Celtic elements. The music conveys, in the label's own words, 'the secret emotion of a fleeting and changing landscape, but well defined in its ultimate reason.'
Label: Nubenegra S.L. (Madrid, Spain), 1995.
Producer: Júlio Pereira (Portuguese musician and composer). Arrangements: Nacho Muñoz.
Recording studio: Not individually specified in publicly available sources; recorded in Spain.
Critical reception: Estou Vivindo no Ceo was a major critical success both nationally and internationally. Uxía's official biography notes that it 'was considered one of the best records of the decade by European public radio stations.' A Portuguese critic wrote of Uxía: 'She doesn't have a great voice, she is a great voice.' The album was distributed in Europe, the USA and Canada. Rootsworld (USA) praised 'her supple and wide-ranging voice couched in tasteful and airy arrangements.' The Nubenegra label noted that it was praised by critics as capturing 'the message of femininity inherent to this country with a woman's name.'
Commercial success: Estou Vivindo no Ceo launched Uxía's first international tour: Germany, Austria, Italy and Scotland, followed by Cuba and Argentina. The album's success confirmed her as one of the most important voices in Galician music, alongside Rosalía de Castro's literary tradition. A 30th anniversary celebration was planned for 2025. Uxía went on to receive the Premio da Crítica Galicia 2016 and the Premio al Mejor Álbum de Música de Raíz at the Spanish Independent Music Awards for Meu canto (2011), which was also selected as Top of the World by Songlines magazine.
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