Putumayo Presents - Brazilian Groove

This is a collection of sounds from the new school of Brazilian musical thought. The roots of the music are still in the samba and bossa nova that have made Brazil a powerhouse in the music world, but now the remixers and DJs have made their way onto the scene with admirable strength. Light songs can be complemented by heavy beats and bossa novas supplemented by a wealth of electronics. This music carefully foots the line between retro and contemporary -- and does so quite well -- through stylistic changes, if not always instrumental ones. The great "Mas Que Nada" is perhaps the prime example of this new fusion, as the classic is updated only lightly in the instrumental department (with the addition of a samba whistle and friction drum), but an additional vocalist is added to spice up the mix a bit with some scatting and sound effects from time to time. Many other tracks echo the same conceptual changes. While synthesizers and electric guitars run rampant, they stay firmly in the background, making changes to the sound, but only in an almost unnoticed manner. The album has high and low points along its course, but, on the whole, does an excellent job of finding and combining the good parts of both classic Brazilian samba, bossa nova, MPB, and the contemporary music scene, and cutting away the bad from both. For fans of Brazilian music, this album demands at least one listen.