NEW RELEASES - ALAIDE COSTA, SO SAMBA QUEM TEM, THE HURST SELECTION 2

ALAIDE COSTA - AMIGA DE VERDADE

Sublime work from Alaide Costa – a beautifully mature album from the late 80s, and one that has her working with a host of great guest help from the Milton Nascimento camp, and the jazzier side of the MPB spectrum! In addition to vocals from Milton on one cut, the set also features appearances by Rique Pantoja on keyboards, Gilson Peranzzeta on piano, Wagner Tiso on piano, Ivan Lins on vocals, Cristovao Bastos on piano, Paulinho Da Viola on vocals, Sebastiao Tapajos on guitar, and Toninho Horta on vocals and arrangements! The music is spare, but has this depth that works perfect with Alaide's rich vocals – often just a few instruments echoing out alongside Costa's lead, with the balance between fullnest and restraint that you'd find in the best recordings by Nascimento or Lins. Titles include "Absinto", "Amiga De Verdade", "Quem Sabe", "Estrada Do Sertao", "Cinema Antigo", "Mais Que A Paixao", and "Morrer De Amor". CD features two bonus tracks – "Dois Coracoes" and "Teu Simples Nao". ~ Dusty Groove

SO SAMBA QUEM TEM - VARIOUS ARTISTS

A tremendous set of 70s samba – a rare gem issued on the smaller Tapecar album, and a vivid portrait of some of the best indie talents of the genre at the time! There's a freshness here that really grabs us right away – the kind of sublime sounds that keep us digging for rare samba records over the years – a sparkling, spontaneous sort of energy that comes through in the music right away – as singers, instrumentalists, and percussionists groove together beautifully in an upbeat, soulful, joyous sort of way! Production is nice and crisp – which really preserves the energy of the music – and titles include "Alegria" by Ze Di, "Acalentava" by Candeia, "Poxa" by Gilson De Souza, "Volta Por Cima" by Noite Ilustrada, "Resto De Amor" by Vincente, "Carolina Meu Bem" by Xango Da Mangueira, and "Bloco Da Madrugada" by Noite Ilustrada. ~ Dusty Groove

THE HURST SELECTION 2 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

Here's another 12 killer songs from SoulandJazz.com Records and its captain, selector Brian Hurst. This time round it’s even more of a world flavour as music comes from Japan courtesy of Room56 and Jazz Collective, Sydney with Milan Ring, Sicily – Gabriele Poso and from all corners of the US: Boukou Groove, Maz, Michon Young, Farnell Newton, Moonchild, Temika Moore and The Ananda Project featuring Mr. Alex Lattimore. Special mention must also go to Gregory Porter whose 1960 What? gets the first proper remix from the legend that is Gerardo Frisina; historic. Top notch stuff.