Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 09/26/2006
If any conglomerate is capable of doing a "
bossa nova for gringos" compilation, it's
Universal. They have been issuing (through their spidery collection of labels)
bossa records internationally, and to a lesser extent here in the States for nearly 50 years. This little set is pretty nifty even if that wasn't intentional. It's not an obvious collection --
"Girl From Ipanema," the biggest
bossa hit of all time is not included here -- but that doesn't mean that it's not fine in its own right. There are cuts here from the first generation
Vinicius de Moraes,
Astrud Gilberto (with
Tom Jobim),
João Donato,
Sergio Mendes,
Roberto Menescal, and
Os Cariocas, from the first and second generations. There are also tracks from the
tropicalia generation, from artists such as
Gilberto Gil,
Nara Leão,
Gal Costa,
Celso Fonseca, and others. But all the tracks here are
samba and
bossa nova. It's a very
traditional and breezy collection of music, even if it's utterly puzzling as to how it was assembled. This is not necessarily a
bossa nova primer, but it is great to add to any "gringo" shelf.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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