Label: Verve Records
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2009.09.29

Gilberto’s fourth album All In One is her debut album for Verve Records label. Known worldwide for her ability to connect modern sounds with the heart and soul of Brazilian music, the New York-born Gilberto focuses on the rhythms of her native country, devising a cosmopolitan yet classic sound with the help of a diverse group of collaborators, including Carlinhos Brown (Caetano Veloso), Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls), Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Daniel Jobim (grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim) and John King (the Dust Brothers). All In One perfectly expresses Gilberto’s interest in making music that feels romantic and fluid. In particular, Most of the record is sung in Portuguese, Bebel’s native language, and was conceived, developed and recorded in her home studio.

Label: Six Degrees
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2009.07.07

Ever since Brazilian phenomenon Céu captivated the world with her self-titled debut album in 2007, her follow up release has been widely anticipated. After being chosen as the first international artist featured in Starbucks Hear Music™ Debut series, Céu earned both Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, countless press accolades, and chart topping numbers. So how does one of the most successful Brazilian female artists of our time respond? With her typical grace and artistry.

Label: Schema
Country: Italy
Release Date: 2009.04.27

“Moon In Libra” comes after a period of four years dedicated both to the production of “Outro Lugar” by Toco and to the search of a more mature and personal language. The album follows the same artistic path of the previous ones with a renewed passion for the Brazilian sonorities from the ’60s, and is influenced by the soul jazz atmospheres connected to noir movies. The project confirms the participation of well-known artists in the Milanese jazz scene such as Laura Fedele, Angie Brown, Manuela Ravaglioli, Toco, Adi Souza, Kal Dos Santos (Mitoka Samba), and Daniel Richards (appearead in Fedreghini & Bianchi’s project) performing a reinterpretation of “Stormy”, influenced by the bossa nova and Bobbie Gentry’s folk. Among the tracks we find a cover of “My Only Man” by Piero Umiliani originally singed by Helen Merrill and here revisited in an uptempo key without losing the original orchestral mood. We also bring the attention to Marco Decimo’s cello (Ludovico Einaudi’s collaborator) who gives a touch of elegance and intensity to some pieces. (by soul seduction)

Label: Nublu Records
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2008.04.29

3 Na Massa is a Brazilian group heavily steeped in the music of the last four decades. The debut LP borrows from styles as diverse as Bossa Nova to trip-hop. Consisting of São Paulo-residents Rica Amabis, Pupillo and Sucinto Silva, the group sought a different female vocalist to voice each song on their self-titled record. The result is a diverse disc with 13 different brazilian seductresses interpreting music that pays homage to both João Gilberto and Serge Gainsbourg. (Leandra Leal, Thalma de Freitas, CéU, Karine Carvalho, Geanino, Pitty, Simone Spoladore, Nina Becker, Cyz, Nina Miranda, Karina Falcão, Lurdes da Luz and Alice Braga)
The dynamic between the all-male band and the harem of female singers is palpable. Even their name — which translates to “three in the dough,” a Portuguese phrase for something that makes one’s mouth water — is a not-so-subtle reference to the sensual themes that permeate their music and lyrics. (by doug black)

Label: Cool D:vision
Country: Italy / Brazil
Release Date: 2006.06.28

BATUK is the new musical project from cool d:vision resulting from the collaboration between H2O Production, aka “Bahian”, Rosa Emilia Dias, passionate interpreter of the main Brasilian musicians long established in our country and Venetian musician Cristiano Verardo, former guitarist of the charismatic band ‘Pitura Freska’, who were active in Italy during the Nineties. The album emerges from Rosa’s exhuberant Brazilian voice, perfectly combined with the most sophisticated of european musical culture, finding in Cristiano’s harmonic and melodic richness its ideal completion. BATUK’s sound is positive, fresh and sunny like Bahia’s drums, multiple and dynamic, like the best electronic music of our times. The name Batuk is derived from the word “batuque” and from the verb “batucar”, meaning “to play drums”, but can also be a reference to something simple, like “to hit” a matchbox on a bar table, setting a rhythm. It’s the act of inventing a sound and a rhythm using small things, it’s everything that helps us to make music with just a few elements. Batucco is the dance of black people too, as black as the Brasilian character of Rosa’s voice, whereas the sound flowing in Cristiano’s veins is varied in it’s origins. The musical mixture of CRUZEIRO DO SUL is fantastic and at the same time extremely varied. (by last.fm)

Label: Schema
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2009.02.10

Third album from the Brazilian artist Rosalia. 14 brand new tracks from the very talented Brazilian voice, singing tracks from Abilio Manoel, Aldemaro Romero, Dori Caymmi and Marcos Valle. “D’improvviso” recalls places and tastes connected to the Brazilian music of the past and in particular to the sixties. A genuine album touched by a singular Afro-Jazz sound, whose compositions show several aspects expressed by the different essences of the huge Brazilian music tradition. Slavery, politics, cultural movements of the 50’s-60’s, shanty-towns and the importance of the mixture rhythm/harmony where the Brazilian music is more intensified than the other ones. Bossa nova, afro, jazz, pop. We are in front of a multiform project planned entirely around a multifaceted tessitura which comes from jazz. (by schema)

Label: ChinChin Records
Country: Germany
Release Date: 2008.11.07

Music is the only realised Utopia. Here utopia is realized by Martin Strathausen, the brain of the German, French & Russian project: Tape Five, the retro-neobossa-swing-latin-jazzy-pop-flavoured-happening! Are you a Tango-dancing spy, that is searching suitcase No.347 with very suspicious contents in Nice, Havanna or Moscow in 1972? Are you wearing your best white linen suite doing the cha-cha-cha in Rico’s Bar or would you recognize the legendary ‘rat pack’ in a 60ies nightclub in Las Vegas creating a “swingfood mood”? No, this is not a James Bond movie, not even a Humphrey Bogart classic in Casablanca, neither a cotton plant in the Southern States in the ‘Summertime’, nor is it “Avenue du Gare” where you smoke your last cigar… Keep cool – it’s just the film in your head! Or maybe just simply wallpaper your home bar on the South Cape or your Westend chillout-lounge with the right sound? A retro-modern “Cocktail d’Amour” of swing, bossanova, lounge-latin and ambient jazz elements.

Label: Coolism Records
Country: Japan
Release Date: 2008.03.23

There is a fine line that musicians have to draw when coming out with new material. They could go the experimental route or the tried and tested route. Both routes have their pitfalls, if you get too experimental you risk isolating your listeners and making them forget why they listen to you in the first place but going the tried and tested route will make you seem boring and dull, your fans would want to hear something new from you every once in a while. I was worried that Paris Match had gone too far down the experimental route when I listened to their album titled “After Six.” In it they focused on club sounds and electronica, the end result became way too “techno” for me. Other than one or two tracks that retained their unique style the rest of the album was well below par compared with their best work. I was worried, perhaps they have finally run out of ideas after so many albums. But I was to be proven wrong. When my fellow “Paris Match kaki” told me that they had released a new album titled “Flight 7″, I was getting ready to go to Japan so the timing was just right for me to go buy it. He also told me assuringly that they were back to their old style and after buying the album and listening to it, I totally agree. The first track titled “Rainbow Puzzle” (roughly translated from Japanese) simply oozes charm, sophistication and technical brilliance through its Bossa-like beat and multi-melodic tunes. It simply just catches your attention and it serves as an excellent lead up to the rest of the album which is musically along the same lines. It is 100% old school Paris Match and then some. Even after so many albums, they have shown no sign of fatigue or slowing down, they are still churning out material that are of the highest of musical standards in my book at least. All in all, “Flight 7″ has reminded me why I liked their music in the first place and left me wanting for more. (by eugene)

Label: Nylon
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2004

From Olinda in Pernambuco, who from the age of 15 has a great passion for electronic music. Since 1997, divides her time between Portugal, Spain, London and Brazil. Continuing her career in Europe, Cyz composed, sang and produced the record ‘Precyz’, considered by the British magazine ‘Straight no Chaser’ amongst others, as one of the best albums of 2001. Working with a group of musicians and producers in studios in Recife, S.Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon, Cyz developed a bridge between Brazil and Europe and launcgerd her first solo album ‘littlefishdublongwatersamba’ in 2004. This autobiographical record has the participation of Gilberto Gil, Sergio Cassiano, DJ Dolores, Zeca Baleiro, FusionLab, Fred 04, Kalaf, Tó Ricciardi, Miguel Guia, Maciel Salú, Cila do Coco amongst others. Both of these albums were lauched by the label Nylon- ‘Off the Record’ , distributed in Europe and Japan, as well as other songs in various compilations. Cyz, as she is fondly known as, is famous for making sound associations between popular brazilian rhythms with a Pernambuco accent, creating contemporary expressions of music, such as in her work in collaboration with international producers Swag and Howie B. (in MySpace)

Label: Freestyle Records
Country: Spain
Release Date: 2008.04.22

The malena production sound comes from the southpaw production team of dan broad and chip wickham. working out of the infamous moolah rouge studios in manchester, their production credits include badly drawn boy, happy mondays, doves and i am kloot. both are also experienced session players, having worked with likes of nightmares on wax, aim, embrace, the audiowhores, jimpster and the soundtrack to the guy ritchie movie ‘snatch’. singer/songwriter susana montero is most recently known for her work with top uk latin band rsl (best known for their huge ´wesley music´ smash), writing and touring with the band for two years. however, she is also one of the uk’s top latin vocalists, with credits that include tito puente, tania maria, isaac delgado, pichi valdes (orchesta reve), jesus alemany (cubanismo!) and roberto pla. an extremely versatile musician, susana writes in spanish, english and portuguese, making her in high demand! the malena sound has deep latin grooves, firing percussion and rich vocal harmonies. their first release ‘para ti’ quickly established them as a top latin act, reaching number 1 in the hmv dance chart. their music is a hardhitting mix of latin breaks, deep vocal harmonies, barrio soul and brazil-electro. ´fried samba´ represents a long road of releases for malena. born at the height of latin house in 2001, malena has grown from the world of funky latin house into the darker waters of breaks and beats, still retaining a few hard edges with the production, but with more depth, twists and turns. it´s a bit of salsoul mixed with a brazilian cool and a dark slice of serge gainsbourg. although at home in the studio, malena also has a kick-ass 8-piece band, which has been turning heads and moving feet across the uk! (by nuloop)