Ceu's second album, VAGAROSA, arriving four years after her debut, finds her sticking to the style that first brought her to the attention of the world music and hipster-lounge communities. She's still mixing the relaxed grooves of her native Brazil with those of downtempo/trip-hop acts like Thievery Corporation; still throwing in surprisingly capable reggae grooves ("Cangote," the first full song on this CD, boasts a deep dub bassline and some extremely haunting organ); and still multitracking her vocals into a conversation. It's a lilting yet heady blend that she pulls off with an utter confidence that's fascinating in such a young artist.

Ceu's songs flirt with a Tom Waits-like clatter sometimes, but always resolve themselves into drifting bliss. For insatance, her psychedelic take on Jorge Ben's "Rosa Menina Rosa," the only song on VAGAROSA she didn't write, works itself into a whirling storm of reverb and phasing effects, yet never loses its essential breeziness. Computer-generated vinyl crackle turns up on the album intro, as well as "Somnambulao" ("Sleepwalking. The last track, "Espaçonave," throws in field recordings of rain forest creatures and multi-tracked vocals alongside fuzzed-out guitar, creating a feel reminiscent of the work of the similarly brilliant Mexican art-pop princess Natalia Lafourcade. VAGAROSA is an impressive, assured album well worth a listener's time, whether one speaks Portuguese or not.

Billboard (p.29) - "'Comadi,' a tune Ceu wrote with Beto Villares, is a masterpiece of subtlety, from the funky bounce of the bass to the horns that come and go with admirable stealth."


  Amoroso/Brasil CD
  by Joao Gilberto
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Joao Gilberto is perhaps forever destined to be lesser known to casual jazz fans than his occasional collaborator Stan Getz (whose GETZ/GILBERTO albums introduced the United States to bossa nova) and his ex-wife Astrud Gilberto (whose shy, delicate voice made her one of the most distinctive and beloved jazz vocalists of the '60s). However, true fans of Brazilian music recognize that Gilberto is second only to Antonio Carlos Jobim as a writer and interpreter of traditional Brazilian music and Brazilian-influenced jazz.

These two albums, collected in full on one CD, are among Gilberto's best solo albums. Alternating between standards like "'S Wonderful" or "Besame Mucho" and Brazilian tunes like Jobim's "Wave" and the original "Triste," AMOROSO is a fine, romantic jazz album.

BRASIL, as the title suggests, consists of six traditional-style sambas, sung in Portuguese to acoustic guitars and hypnotic percussion. Both are essential to Gilberto fans and neophytes.


  Pieta CD
  by Milton Nascimento
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A tribute to his adoptive mother, PIETA finds Brazilian singer/songwriter Milton Nascimento keeping her favorite artists (including Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Yma Sumac) in mind. Rather than covering songs made famous by these performers, Nascimento evokes their musical spirits with his expressive voice and a set of mostly original tunes, resulting in a relaxed and beautiful album. Renowned conductor/arranger Eumir Deodato contributes his trademark swooning strings to a number of selections here, including the gentle "Tristesse" and the title track, in which subtle electronics blend with a light acoustic-guitar line and stomping percussion.

Although most of PIETA features a host of Brazilian musicians, two American jazz luminaries-- pianist Herbie Hancock and guitarist Pat Metheny--join Nascimento for a fascinatingly spare take on Hancock's funky "Cantaloupe Island." Though the track might initially seem out of step with the rest of the disc, it proves to be one of the many highlights of this remarkable record, which ranks among Nascimento's best work.

Personnel: Milton Nascimento (vocals, guitar, accordion); Marina Machado, Simone Guimaraes, Elder Costa (vocals); Wilson Lopes (guitar, acoustic guitar, steel guitar); Lô Borges, Pat Metheny (guitar); Deodato (strings); Widor Santiago (saxophone); Kiko Continentino (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, harmonium); Herbie Hancock (piano); Tom Capone (synthesizer, programming); Gastao Villeroy (bass instrument); Lincoln Cheib (drums, percussion); Marco Lobo, Ronaldo Silva (percussion).


  Tanto Tempo CD
  by Bebel Gilberto
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Bebel Gilberto was nominated for the 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist. TANTO TEMPO was nominated for the 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Best Musica Popular Brasileira Album.

Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Brazilian singer/guitarist Joao Gilberto. TANTO TEMPO, her debut release, brings a contemporary sheen to classic bossa novas. Acoustic accompaniment predominates, with the addition of occasional electronica, making this collection a perfect reflection of the late-20th century two-way street between traditional Brazilian bossa nova and the American producers who covet its easy, sexy sound.

Gilberto's voice is assured and steady. As with other South American singers gaining attention in the States, such as Peru's Susana Baca, she's a model of restrained passion, her phrasing subtly and sensuously caressing her music. Gilberto sings mostly in Portuguese, but performs a few songs in English, such as the dreamy "August Day Song." "Lonely" finds her paired with Washington D.C. downtempo producers Thievery Corporation, while the classic "So Nice" is still the perfect airy, breezy hammock song. TANTO TEMPO is highly recommended for aficionados of both classic and modern Brazilian pop.

  Bebel Gilberto CD
  by Bebel Gilberto
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For her second studio album, Bebel Gilberto largely forgoes the electronic tinges of TANTO TIEMPO, in favor of a more straight-ahead bossa nova sound that often evokes the music of her father, the legendary vocalist/guitarist Joao Gilberto. On the breezy opener, "Baby," Gilberto lovingly adopts some of the vocal mannerisms of the song's writer, the renowned Brazilian troubadour Caetano Veloso, while gentle acoustic guitar guides the tune along. The majority of these songs, however, are penned (at least in part) by Gilberto herself. "Simplesmente" casts a dreamy keyboard-laden spell, while "O Caminho" is a melancholy, piano-driven number. Throughout the album, the focus remains on Gilberto's gorgeously smooth voice as she sings in both Portugese and English. BEBEL GILBERTO finds the vocalist easing even more comfortably into her family's musical heritage, and the result is a relaxed, confident set of songs.

Rolling Stone (p.179) - 3 stars out of 5 - "The sublime 'River Song' and 'Baby', an Os Mutantes cover, groove to the spirit of samba, and more down-tempo tracks such as 'Cada Beijo' exude supper-club chill-out."


  Tribalistas CD
  by Marisa Monte
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The hype that was built up before the release of this joint effort by Arnaldo Antunes, Marisa Monte, and Carlinhos Brown was enormous. Luckily, the trio delivered and fulfilled all expectations, although perhaps in a different way than many people had anticipated. Tribalistas is a very good but simple and unpretentious record. The music consists of straightforward, largely acoustic, and very attractive pop songs sung by Marisa Monte and Arnaldo Antunes. The beautiful voice of Monte interacts in an interesting and fairly unusual way with the masculine, often guttural singing of Antunes. The album production by Monte and Alê Siqueira is very tasteful, and the sparse but elegant electronic backing and special effects contribute to make the music sound fresh and different. The musical focus of Tribalistas always lies in the strong melodies, both on the faster tracks -- as, for example, the captivating "Carnavália" and "Passe Em Casa" -- and the percussion-less ballads, such as "É Você" and "O Amor E Feio." ~ Philip Jandovsky

TRIBALISTAS won the 2003 Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album. The album was also nominated for Best Engineered Album and for Album Of The Year. "Ja Sei Namorar" was nominated for Record Of The Year and for Best Brazilian Song.


  Os Mutantes CD
  by Os Mutantes
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One of the embodiments of Brazil's crash into the counter-culture of the '60s, Mutantes (Mutants) weren't just a great pop-rock group, they were boundary-smashing revolutionaries. As part of that country's late-'60s Tropicalismo movement, the trio helped modernize distinctly Brazilian sounds, scuzzying the samba rhythms of Carnaval with fuzzed-up electric guitars, and blowing a weird avant-garde breeze into the smooth hair of conservative bossa nova culture. Rita Lee and the Baptista brothers (Arnaldo and Sergio) made music wholly reminiscent of REVOLVER-era Beatles, mixing in Stockhausian sonic collages, Zappa's sense of absurdity, and a Brazilian love of the groove.

The liner notes included in Omplatten's reissue of the band's self-titled 1968 debut describe the historical context for the band's importance, but the musical pleasure of OS MUTANTES is far less cerebral. Interpreting the songs of their Tropicalismo compadres (Caetano Veloso, Gilbeto Gil, Jorge Ben), they infused Brazilian folk forms with modern studio touches--brass fan fares, found-sound effects, psychedelic vocal harmonies, etc. It is essentially shagadelic mid-'60s pop, with Lee's innocent vocals dripping with irony and Rogerio Duprat's arrangements as forward thinking as anything that emerged from LA or London at the time. OS MUTANTES sounds as fresh as any recording of the period.

1968 debut album of the band formed by Arnaldo, Claudio and Sergio Baptista along with Rita Lee, who took their name from a film that translates as "Planet of Mutants". Their psychedelic experimentation and limit stretching contrasted greatly to the licks they provided for Gilberto Gil, who they backed in the years leading up to this debut project. This album is a classic of Brazilian pop in all it's craziness....especially in the context of the time it was recorded.


  Brazilian Duos CD
  by Luciana Souza
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Luciana Souza's well-received third record, Brazilian Duos, is a departure in two respects. First, the gifted vocalist is backed not by a jazz quartet, but rather by three different acoustic guitarists -- Romero Lubambo, Marco Pereira (playing eight-string), and Walter Santos (her father). Second, Souza turns away from original material and toward classic Brazilian songs by figures like Dori Caymmi, Luiz Gonzaga, Djavan, Jobim, Toninho Horta, and her parents, Walter Santos and Tereza Souza.

The range of moods is astounding, from the tongue-twisting virtuosity of the opening "Baiao Medley" and the playfulness of "O Bolo" to the heartbreaking strains of "Pra Dizer Adeus," "Docemente," and "Suas Maos." Souza's voice, poised and attractive enough on its own, becomes a thing of transcendent beauty when matched with these sparse yet vibrant accompaniments. ~ David R. Adler

BRAZILIAN DUOS was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album.


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