Mônica Salmaso is one of those singers Brazil seems to produce by the dozens. She has a seductive, cool voice, mellifluous and on control over the material. She sounds wonderfully in control on the samba "Cabrochinha" and the stripped down "Estrela de Oxum," as well as an imaginative cover of Tom Zé's "Menina, Amanha de Manha." There's plenty of thought in the arrangements, such as the clarinets that are the spine of "Cidade Lagoa," and which typify this as a kind of Brazilian art music, as is evident from the piano on "Sinhazinha (Despertar)." In many ways it's an album to be admired rather than enjoyed, because it seems to keep an emotional distance, both from the heart of the material and from the listener. As such, that's fine, but it's hard to form any attachment to either the material or the singer. Salmaso may be good, but you never find the heart of her -- and that's a problem over the course of an entire CD. Chris Nickson
Tracklist :
1. Moro Na Roça 2:19
– Traditional
Acoustic Guitar [7-String] – Maurício Carrilho
Adapted By – Zagaia, Xangô Da Mangueira
Percussion – Robertinho Silva
2. Cabrochinha 3:48
Acoustic Guitar [7-String] – Maurício Carrilho
Arranged By – Maurício Carrilho
Bandolin – Pedro Amorim
Cavaquinho – Luciana Rabello
Clarinet – Nailor "Proveta" Azevedo
Flute – Marcelo Bernardes
Pandeiro – Jorginho Do Pandeiro
Tamborim – Celsinho Silva, Gordinho
Violoncello – Iura Ranevsky
Written-By – Maurício Carrilho, Paulo César Pinheiro
3. Estrela De Oxum 3:26
Acoustic Bass – Rodolfo Stroeter
Acoustic Guitar – Paulo Bellinati
Bass Flute ["A Gorda"] – Teco Cardoso
Percussion – Robertinho Silva
Written-By – Joyce, Rodolfo Stroeter
4. Menina Amanhã De Manhã 5:29
Accordion – Toninho Ferragutti
Acoustic Bass – Rodolfo Stroeter
Acoustic Guitar, Cavaquinho – Webster Santos
Arranged By – Benjamim Taubkin, Toninho Ferragutti
Flute, Baritone Saxophone – Teco Cardoso
Percussion – Ari Colares
Piano – Benjamim Taubkin
Written-By – Perna, Tom Zé
5. Vingança 3:39
Accordion, Arranged By – Toninho Ferragutti
Arranged By [Brass Arrangement], Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Nailor "Proveta" Azevedo
Written-By – Francisco Mattoso, José Maria De Abreu
6. Por Toda A Minha Vida 2:20
Acoustic Guitar – Paulo Bellinati
Arranged By – Paulo Bellinati
Written-By – Tom Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes
7. Assum Branco 4:50
Acoustic Bass – Rodolfo Stroeter
Acoustic Guitar, Percussion – Paulo Bellinati
Arranged By – Paulo Bellinati
Violoncello – Lui Coimbra
Written-By – José Miguel Wisnik
8. Cidade Lagoa 3:00
Arranged By – Luca Raelle
Band – Sujeito A Guincho
Bass Clarinet – Luis Afonso "Montanha", Nivaldo Orsi
Clarinet – Edmilson Nery, Luca Raelle*, Sérgio Burgani
Written-By – Cícero Nunes*, Sebastião Fonseca
9. Doce Na Feira 3:04
Flute – Teco Cardoso
Percussion – Ari Colares
Piano – André Mehmari
Written-By – Altair*, Jair do Cavaquinho
10. Sinhazinha (Despertar) 5:04
Arranged By – André Mehmari
Piano – André Mehmari
Written-By – Chico Buarque
11. Onde Ir 4:42
Written-By – Vanessa da Mata
12. É Doce Morrer No Mar 5:25
Written-By – Dorival Caymmi
13. Na Aldeia 5:38
Acoustic Guitar [7-String] – Maurício Carrilho
Backing Vocals – Ana Costa, Analimar, Jurema De Cândia
Bandolin – Pedro Amorim
Cavaquinho – Luciana Rabello
Clarinet – Nailor "Proveta" Azevedo
Guest – Teresa Cristina
Pandeiro – Jorginho Do Pandeiro
Percussion [Prato E Faca] – Paulino
Reco-reco – Celsinho Silva
Surdo – Gordinho
Violoncello – Iura Ranevsky
Written-By – Carusinho, De Chocolat, Silvio Caldas
30.6.25
MÔNICA SALMASO — Iaiá (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless
21.5.25
OMARA PORTUONDO — Flor de Amor (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Flor de Amor is the second World Circuit outing for Cuban diva Omara Portuondo, whose debut for the label topped the world music charts in 2000. This time out, Portuondo and producers Nick Gold, Jerry Boys, and Alé Siqueira assemble a sultry, steamy, and extremely elegant collection of love songs that are steeped in the popular Cuban bolero, rhumba, ritmo, guajira, and mambo traditions, but there is also the airiness of Brazilian pop music in the tunes produced by Siqueira. The players are from three generations of Cuban studio musicians, and include Barbarito Torres, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, Manuel Galbán, Roberto Fonseca, Carlos Emilio, and dozens of others, with a few Anglo players and singers as well. This is one of the most elegant recordings to come from the Buena Vista Social Club set. The album opens with the ethereal "Tabú." It is a song of longing for Africa with a gorgeous clarinet line played by Javier Zalba and a wispy backing chorus that winds around Portuondo; she blends in a Yoruban spiritual chant without breaking stride or upsetting the nocturnal balance of the tune. Jorge Chicoy's trademark electric guitar sound graces many of these tunes, with none so beautiful as "Amor de Mis Amores" ("Love of my life/Lifeblood of my veins/Give me the bloom of hope/Let me tell you the bittersweet truth/Of my suffering..."), with its chorus and entwining guitars and percussion. The classic "Amorosa Guajira" is haunting and tender; it features the singer accompanied only by Papi Oviedo's 12-string. The closing cut is written in Portuguese by Brazilian pop star Carlinhos Brown along with Junior Costa. Portuondo rises to the occasion, and sings this samba-inspired ballad with aplomb -- there is even a subtle theremin line by producer Siqueira! Flor de Amor is a wonderfully seamless, sensually charged, slow burn of an album that is nothing short of a work of art.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Tabú 4:19
Margarita Lecuona
2 Amor de Mis Amores 3:23
María Teresa Lara
3 Alma de Roca 3:35
Lily Batet
4 Mueve la Cintura Mulato 3:35
Alejandro Enis Almenares
5 Junto a un Cañaveral 3:30
Omara Portuondo
6 Hermosa Habana 3:48
Rolando Vergara
7 El Madrugador 3:33
Omara Portuondo
8 Amorosa Guajira 2:23
Omara Portuondo
9 Habanera Ven 3:28
Omara Portuondo
10 Si Llego a Besarte 3:19
Luis Casas Romero
11 Flor de Amor 3:06
Omara Portuondo
12 Juramento 3:22
Miguel Matamoros
13 He Venido a Decirte 3:48
María Teresa Lara / Rolando Vergara
14 Casa Calor 4:08
Carlinhos Brown
Credits :
Accordion – Toninho Ferragutti
Acoustic Guitar – Swami Jr.
Bass – Orlando "Cachaíto" López
Congas – Miguel "Angá" Díaz
Electric Guitar – Jorge Chicoy
Keyboards, Piano – Roberto Fonseca
Percussion – Carlinhos Brown
Shaker, Pandeiro, Tabla – Marcos Suzano
Surdo, Percussion – Boghan Costa, Léo Bit Bit
Tres – Papi Oviedo
+ last month
ELISABETH KONTOMANOU — Siren Song -Live at Arsenal (2009) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless
In a project that is much more than merely subtle or understated, the talented vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou teams with the Orchestre Nation...
