Rating:
Genre:
World
Release Date: 08/09/2005
The spicy charm of
Salomé de Bahia's feathered headdress and mile-wide smile comes through loud and clear on her second album, the vacation you can stick in your CD player that is
Brasil. Seamlessly joined together with
spoken word interludes and masterfully produced by Parisian hipster
Bob Sinclair, the album incorporates a wide range of Brazilian flavors with a true
disco attitude. This is
dance music, and Brazil through the eyes of France, but it's organic if not authentic and
electronica doesn't even enter the picture.
Salomé herself is a brassy version of early
Grace Jones with just a touch of
Josephine Baker but hardly a hint of diva. Easygoing numbers like
"Lanca Perfume" round out her character while her version of
"Copacabana" -- yes, that
"Copacabana" -- gives her a cheeky brush of camp that's entirely infectious. Most of the tunes here -- save
"Brigitte Bardot," which is too bubbly for its own good -- are meaty, three of them coming from the songbook of Brazilian legend
Jorge Ben. A full
disco orchestra with sizeable chorus backs her up, keeping with the
cabaret and revue upbringing that's the heart of
de Bahia's style. Her Portuguese version of
Stevie Wonder's
"Another Star," "Outro Lugar," is the sparkling highlight, but
"Taj Mahal," "Cada Vez," and
"Sambala" will all the keep the party alive.
Brasil smiles at you, hands you a cold caipirinha, and winks at you with every twirl of its colorful skirt. Joyful stuff that will bring a smile to your face. No sunny day off should be without it.
~David Jeffries, All Music Guide
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