February 27, 2008

• Taking a break!!

  Silva
  Vinicius
  Cantuária
  2005

  Bossa nova remains Brazil’s flagship musical export, a style so
  cool and subdued that the sensation it made on the international scene in the
  1950s still comes as a surprise. João Gilberto, the first star of bossa nova,
  helped define the style along with a few other key musicians, and their original
  template has proved as durable as it is thrilling. Even a half-century after its
  birth, the music is still reaping rewards, as in the wonderful, surprising work
  of the artist Vinicius Cantuária. A seasoned Brazilian musician who has worked
  closely with major singers like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Cantuária
  initiated a string of solo releases in the late 1990s that smartly updated the
  bossa nova sound for the modern age. 2005′s Silva may be the best of the
  lot, a collection of dreamy singer-songwriter samba that coasts by and entrances
  with the grace of a gazelle.
  
  The set opens on “A Dot,” with its glowing
  strummed guitar, lilting pockets of strings, and lightly shuffling rhythm.
  Cantuária sings with a cool detachment that conveys loneliness, pain, and
  resilience in its low tones. It’s a seductive and engaging sound, understated
  yet captivating like the best bossa nova of years before but with modernity in
  its crisp sonic curves. “The Bridge,” meanwhile, jumps with a bright, funky
  shake, as Cantuária half-sings, half-speaks before entering a spare, low-soaring
  refrain. The instrumental bed of the track is composed of altered flugelhorn,
  keyboards, and samples, creating a jazzy, contemporary brew that still
  conjures—in its attitude and groove—the classic spirit of Brazilian bossa nova.
  
  
  The disc closes with a hypnotic, partly English-language number called
  “India.” Over slowly swirling guitar lines and a woozy beat, Cantuária sings,
  “We can make some money / We can make a big deal / We can shoot a movie / Before
  we come back to Brazil.” Perhaps it’s fitting to end this song cycle with such
  an internationally minded number: After all, bossa nova has always been the
  world’s music, and Cantuária, more than any other musician working today, still
  recognizes and explores its universal appeal. With Silva, he finds the
  perfect balance between the traditional and the modern and delivers arguably the
  finest album of his career.
  

  	Listen to all sound clips from this CD
  “A Dot” “The Bridge” “India”

  Buy this CD

  

  I love you!!

  

  I’ll be reading and commenting, just not posting for a while!

  • 2:15 pm
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