Most folks will probably adore this CD for Lilian Viera's post-Gal Costa style vocalizing against a sterile but melodic bank of modern keyboards, but it's the instrumental No Bar do Samba that gets our thong in knots. It's a straight-ahead Samba done with cheesy organs and synthesizers, almost like Walter Wanderley on Ecstasy. Do as we do and take it to the gym and the Stair Master becomes almost tolerable!

Most of the tracks are strong but we particularly like Zuco 103's updated version of Gilberto Gil's Maracatu Atomico.

It dawns on us that we never told you about this disc. Let's just put it this way: It's coming with us to that Desert Island. Cleo Brown can be summed up as a female version of Fats Waller, but she's much more. Who else sings tributes to swollen feet (Breakin' in a New Pair of Shoes) and celebrates Black cinema (When Hollywood Goes Black and Tan)? These are mid 1930s sides and they are at the same time swinging and intimate. Go buy it today.

<-- Hoagy Carmichael

Scientific, Accurate
& Easy To Understand!
5 Martinis = Classic
4 Martinis = Great
3 Martinis = Good
2 Martinis = Fair
1 Martini = Poor