Maria Creuza - see artist discography
Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente "Canta Paulinho Da Viola, v.1" (Deckdisc, 2002)
Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente "Canta Paulinho Da Viola, v.2" (Deckdisc, 2002)
One of Brazil's finest young samba singers of the new millennium, Teresa Cristina has been embraced by the samba old guard, and returns the favor on these two gorgeous tributes to acoustic samba king Paulinho Da Viola. It's kind of nice when records like this live up to the hype... These two albums are some of the purest, sweetest acoustic samba music you'll ever hear, with gorgeous accompaniment on the cavaquinho and bandolim, and clear vocal echoes of Clara Nunes and the young Beth Carvalhlo... Cristina pays dutiful homage to the Portela samba school, and she does Paulinho Da Viola proud as well... Old-timers Elton Medeiros, the Velha Guarda Da Portela, Epoca De Ouro and Paulinho himself all chime in, as well as the flawless Grupo Semente... If you want to hear some of the best Brazilian music out there, snap these puppies up! (Note, they can either be bought as single discs or as a two-pack that might be a bit cheaper. It's worth it.) Highly recommended.
Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente "A Vida Me Fez Assim" (Deckdisc, 2004)
An absolutely gorgeous modern acoustic samba set that recalls the glory days of the 1970s pagode scene. Indeed, Ms. Cristina sounds quite a bit like the late, fabled, glorious samba star, Clara Nunes, earning high praise and many well-deserved accolades. With a compact foursome, guided by a sensuous, insistent cavaquinho and the singers crystalline tones, this is the music of the gods.
Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente "O Mundo E Meu Lugar: Ao Vivo" (Deckdisc, 2005)
Teresa Cristina e Grupo Semente "Delicada" (2007)
Arlindo Cruz "Arlindinho" (Line Records, 1993)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Pintura Na Tela" (RGE, 1994)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Da Musica" (Velas, 1996)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Samba E A Nossa Cara" (Velas, 1997)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Pra Ser Feliz" (Polygram, 1998)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Ao Vivo" (Indie, 2000)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Hoje Tem Samba" (Universal/Indie Records, 2002)
Acoustic sambas, with younger samba revivalists paying homage to the classic sound of 1970s-era pagode, replete with swaying rhythms, bright vocal choruses and cavaquinhos galore. Naturally, these soft-toned revivalists don't hold a candle to the immortal performances of Clara Nunes and her generation, but it's nice that someone is keeping this music alive, and they certainly sound sweet enough that this album is well worth checking out. Also check out Cruz's work with the fabled Grupo Fundo Do Quintal...!
Arlindo Cruz "Pagode Do Arlindo - Ao Vivo" (WEA-Brasil, 2003)
Lively, sugary, melodically rich live acoustic samba performances which, again, lack the magical feel of the classic pagode of the '70s, but still sound pretty nice. Guest performers include Beth Carvalho, Dudu Nobre and Zeca Pagodinho, along with several less well-known performers. It's nice.
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Melhor de Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha: Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2007)
Live recordings, with guest performers including Beth Carvalho, Almir Guineto and Zeca Pagodinho.
Arlindo Cruz "Sambista Perfeito" (2007)
Arlindo Cruz & Sombrinha "Serie Millennium" (Universal, 2007)
A best-of collection...
Ivon Curi "Serie Bis - Cantores Do Radio" (EMI-Brasil, 2000)
Pretty corny stuff from a Mina Gerais native who specialized in Franco-European material in the 1940s, and turned to nordeste roots towards the end of the '50s. His blend of bouncy forro rhythms and chanson showiness probably won't capture your fancy, but then again, who knows? I found this to be negligible, although I guess it's an interesting footnote to the development of forro as a mainstream style.
Ivon Curi "Farinhada A Francesa" (EMI-Brasil, xxxxxxxxxxxx)
Ivon Curi "Maxximum" (2007)
Curumin "Achados E Perdidos" (Quannum, 2005)
This disc opens with "Guerreiro," a thunderously sexy, slinky, cool, irresistibly catchy pop-funk samba that recalls Stevie Wonder's grooviest work from the early 1970s... That sweet funk vibe is echoed on "Tudo Bem Malandro," which also uses a full, fat-toned keyboards to create a thumping funk beat -- Curumin's debt to Wonder is made explicit in his English-language cover of Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothing," which rounds out the album's soft, sensual opening set. From there, more contemporary hip-hop and Brazilian pop influences kick in, and the record starts to lose some of its momentum, becoming more a collection of songs than a cohesive artistic statement. There's a little bit of a patchwork, kitchen-sink feel to the second half of the album, but this lack of cohesion also indicate's Curumin's searching, innovative creativity. A Sao Paulo native (whose given name is Luciano Nakata Albuquerque), Curumin makes a point of opening his album up to guest performances by off-the-radar locals; as is often the case, Sao Paulo's music scene offers a grittier, edgier alternative to the sleek elegance of Rio and the party-down sambas of Bahia... Of the many Brazilian artists who have melded funk, soul and samba over the last four decades, Curumin stands as one of the most fluid and accomplished. Sadly, the entire album isn't as funky as the opening numbers, but those few tracks go a long way towards establishing him as a contemporary pop artist worth keeping track of... While savoring the songs on here that get my toes tapping, I'm definitely looking forward to Curumin's next record!
