“…her sound is genuine, her diction impeccable, the choice of tunes varied, and she sings from the soul […] Candida Rose dignifies her ethnicity, with class, presentation, and knowledge of her craft. Indeed, she performs flawlessly and seems to have inherited the authentic demeanor and talent of the many greats of the music of Cape Verde that have preceded her.”

-A Praça, May-June 2025

“The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman” is “an inspired melding of two seafaring peoples who share a love of song, dance, and storytelling as well as a longing for home […]  Baptista is superb in a pair of mornas, ‘Sodade’ (‘Longing’) and ‘Hora di bai”’(‘Hour of Parting’), plus a call-and-response batuku sequence and then the upbeat, swivel-hipping ‘Fitiço di funaná.’"

-Jeffrey Gantz, The Boston Globe,  2024

“her debut CD entitled “KabuMerikana: The Sum of Me" [...] combines her Cabo Verdean musical roots with her American - primarily jazz - influences. It’s a mixture she calls “KabuJazz” and it’s one of many reasons she is beloved by audiences as a performer of unique style and substance. Another reason is, of course, her dedication to preserving the legacy of Cabo Verde musicians and music from New Bedford.”

- The Herald News, 2021

”Candida Rose Baptista likes to say, ‘Give me a mic and I’m good.’ And, she’s never better than when singing one of her own compositions, like “Love Each Other Through” – which is excerpted throughout this post.  It’s her Love Letter for New Bedford, and very much the inspiration and guiding spirit of this Creative Ambassadors project from New Bedford Creative. As a Creative Ambassador, Candida Rose – as she is popularly known to her many fans – embodies the essence of Creating Connection. It is, after all, her life’s work as a vocalist, song-writer, entertainer, educator and cultural conscious.” 

-Steven Froias, New Bedford Creative (2022)