Tuesday, March 13, 2012

NEW RELEASES: CAETANO VELOSO & DAVID BYRNE, ITHAMARA KOORAX, EMILIO SANTIAGO

Caetano Veloso & David Byrne -
Live At Carnegie Hall

A legendary pairing of two amazing artists – a once-in-a-lifetime performance from Caetano Veloso and David Byrne (and we don't mean that as a Talking Heads pun, either!) The album's got a stripped-down, acoustic feel that really lets both singers open up and dominate the proceedings – Caetano at first, in a presentation of some of his own songs – then Byrne on some of his music – all in an instrumental setting that features guitars from both singers, plus cello from Jacques Morelenbaum, and percussion from Mauro Refosco – starting from gentle spareness to more focused energy, a bit like the style used by Byrne in Stop Making Sense, yet still acoustic overall. The singers come together as the set moves on – clearly comfortable in a warm friendship – and titles include "Sampa", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Mahata", "The Revolution", "And She Was", "She Only Sleeps", "Life During Wartime", "Road To Nowhere", "Um Canto De Afoxe Para Bloco De Ile", "Terra", "Nothing But Flowers", and "Heaven".

Ithamara Koorax -
Got To Be Real

Maybe the greatest album so far from Ithamara Koorax – and quite a change from some of her previous records, too! A number of the songs are 70s soul classics – music that's clearly inspired Ithamara over the years, and which really drives her to deliver a strongly soulful vocal approach throughout! Another great aspect of the album is the presence of Jose Roberto Bertrami – who brings in these amazing Fender Rhodes lines that really fit the sound – the kind of warm, soulful lines that always made his work in Azymuth so great. There's still a nice dose of Brazilian jazz in the mix, but the overall approach is a lot more soul-based than usual – and the jazzy keyboards really deepen the sound, too – and give the record a feel that's way deeper than just a collection of covers. Titles include "Got To Be Real", "Butterfly", "Goin Out Of My Head", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Negue", "My Favorite Things", "Vesti Azul", and "Pigmalio 70".

Emilio Santiago -
So Danco Samba – Ao Vivo

A nice little live set from Emilio Santiago – recorded in support of his excellent studio album of the same name, but with a slightly different feel overall! Instrumentation is by a tight combo with more than a bit of jazz in the mix – perfect for Santiago's vocals, which have all the warm, soulful qualities we've loved for decades – a sound that was already mature and fully-formed back in the 70s, and has only gotten better as years have gone on! Keyboards and percussion make the instrumentation sound great – and titles include "Confissao", "Olhou Pra Mim", "Nunca Mais", "So Danco Samba", "Influencia Do Jazz", "Sambou Sambou", and "Tendencia".

Source: Dusty Groove

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