Customer Reviews

Astronauta

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bet it must have been a difficult task for Joyce to interpret Elis Regina's music without her covers missing the point. A lot of times, when artists do tribute albums, they sound awkward and cannot even capture the emotional depth that is conveyed in their own recordings. Not Joyce.

Joyce managed to brilliantly cover these songs, while retaning her smooth style. I really like that. This shows artistic intelligence.

In short, this CD is great (an understatement). Joyce captures Elis so well that it seems like the two women intertwine. Can you say channeling??? The control in Joyce's voice is remarkable because it shows that she is taking her time to make a point. It is almost like talking to someone face to face. And when she lets it out, you hear a sort of silent celebration bursting forth. You look at her and know she is always celebrating, without having to shout. Her sense of artistry is very refined and it really comes out in this CD because it is a "cover".

After seeing Joyce in a live performance in Cleveland Heights in May 2001, I was compelled to study this Brasilian virtuoso in more detail. What a better way to start than by listening to Joyce's interpretations of classic songs forever identified with the the first woman of Brasilian Bossa, Elis Regina, WOW! (or UAU! in portuguese . . .) Every performance in in the spirit of Brasilian bossa nove/samba - nothing of a parody or syrupy sentiments, but, as in a Brasil life, a celebration! Joyce is a consumate artist, redefing the popular musical form without trivilizing the past. The performances on this recording are exciting and the arrangements fresh. This has made it to my "must have" list of musical performances in this genre.

I have close to 11 albums of Joyce. The first one I picked at random in Rio De Janeiro during the earth summit in the early 90's. That single act has changed my musical taste to a great degree. Joyce is a great singer, guitarist, songwriter who can bring such exquisite joys to whatever material she plays with. Her treatment in ALL the songs she's done in all the 11 albums I have listened to over and over again has been consistently imaginative, seductively intimate and charmingly honest. The playing is always exceptionally skillful. Austronauta is a great album, even by the standards of Ilha Brazil (a previous Joyce album). She tackles the songs of a formidable icon like Regina Ellis with great intimacy, dignity and creativity. She simply takes over the material and even while paying tribute to her friend makes the music her own.

I have listened to all my 11 albums of Joyce many, many times over again, and as a listener and fan, I simply cannot have enough of her music. Her voice is more than just an expressively great singing voice, it is also an instrument that teases, compliments and dialogues with the musical instruments that accompany her in ways that are truly magical. Joyce is simply a joy to listen to everytime.

GREAT BRAZILIAN SOUNDS LAND ON OUR SHORES by Martin Wisckol American Reporter Correspondent Huntington Beach, Calif.

Joyce is a singer, songwriter and guitarist with 19 albums to her credit ("Astronauta" is the welcomed addition to the handful released in the United States). She is firmly in the samba/bossa nova continuum, her voice reminiscent at times of Astrud Gilberto (but with more range, richness, and control than the amateur recruited at the last minute for Stan Getz' famous album), Maria Bethania and Milton Nascimento. There is no flash, no effort to draw attention to her understated technical abilities -- just good, clean, beautiful melodies from the heart. The album at hand is a tribute to the tragic-romantic Brazilian chanteuse Elis Regina, who died of an overdose at the age of 37. Elis was known as the Hurricane and the Little Pepper, and embodied saudade -- well defined in the liner notes as a peculiarly Brazilian mix of ecstasy and melancholy. Elis was a pop singer with all the drama and allure of the best of Brazil's beloved soap opera stars and a voice that transformed sound into magic. She was not a songwriter -- the samba- and bossa-flavored tunes Elis helped popularize come from the pens of Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others, plus a couple new ones penned by Joyce. The interpretations here are given delightful accompaniment, usually no more than three or four musicians joining Joyce, nothing to get in the way but, like Joyce's voice, adding dozens of subtle details that bring fresh joy and discovery to repeated listens. Jazz tenor sax giant Joe Lovano lends his sensitive and credible Getz impersonation to two of 14 cuts. The bouyant groove and beauty run deep throughout, and there's no worry about language barriers. The sole English offering, Jobim's "Waters of March" done vocal duet with Dori Caymmi, concludes the album as if to say to English speakers, "This! This is what Elis was about! This is what Brazil is about!" ~ ~ ~ Gil, meanwhile, heads a bit more toward the fringes on "O Sol de Oslo." Unlike Joyce, Gil has more than a dozen albums readily available in the U.S. In fact, he has two recently out -- the other, which is apparently more firmly in the pop vein, has gotten several positive write-ups in the mainstream press. But "Oslo" is the one that arrive in my mailbox review, and it's a fascinating listen if a little thin at moments. But first some bio on Gil. Gil, 56, grew up in the black capitol (and former country capitol) of Salvador, and began playing accordian when he was eight. While studying business administration he heard Joao Gilberto -- Astrud's husband and the more famous of the couple -- and was inspired to take up guitar. In the early '60s, Gil made his living writing jingles, but increasingly played his own music in public. He had his first hit when Elis recorded his "Louvacao." He gained a reputation for his protest songs, then for his role in the Tropicalia movement, which brought outside influences to Brazilian folk music. He was buddies with Bob Marley and in the '70s began merging reggae and samba. Through it all come infective melodies that have made him one of the country's top pop composers, sung with an energy and spirit that have gained him a following worldwide. "Oslo" turns to the sertao -- the Brazilian outback -- for his primary inspiration, and the album opens with two old folk songs from the countryside. Think accordian with a bounce, not samba and not polka. Gil offers delightful melody one after another throughout his own songs. There's plenty of accordion and some wonderful tabla playing from the brilliant Trilok Gurtu (tabla also makes a couple of perfectly appropriate appearances on the Joyce disc). Marlui Miranda joins Gil at the microphone on about half of the cuts, and the backroom intimacy of the affair's broken up occasionally by the passing use of drum machines and scratching. And that's not the only surprise along the journey -- take, for instance, "A Santinha la da Serra," Moacir Santos' haunting hymn, launched starkly by unaccompanied accordian (played throughout by Toninho Ferragutti), then joined by Gil's voice, then Gil replaced by Miranda, with piano enriching the mix, and then Gil rejoining. This is followed by another folk song, "Al Baiano," a short and simple unaccompanied duet between the two singers. Then a throwaway from Miranda, and concluding with popped-up version of the drum raves Bahia is famous for. All in all, "Oslo" is a welcome collage from the hands of a master who seems to never cease prying open unseeming shells and pulling out the pearls. Send notes of your longing and the trumpet noises from your soul to Martin_Wisckol@link.freedom.com Copyright 1999 Joe Shea The American Reporter. All Rights Reserved

Both Joyce and her music are lush and gorgeous. I saw her perform songs from this album in a small church in my town, and I was captivated. Her voice and her music are at once exciting and calming. If you like Bossa Nova, you MUST have this album.

For somebody whose been making albums since the late 60's in her homeland `Brazil', its surprising that `Joyce' hasn't had more of a marketing push over here. Arguably the closest comparison her music can be compared to would be the dreamy Bossa Nova of `Bebel Gilberto'. Whereby Bebel has studiously carved out a name for herself over her (with a relatively modest following back home), for Joyce it's the other way around, with Joyce being a significantly bigger name back home, but with a small fanbase over here. There an element to Joyce's music that feels slightly more authentic than Bebels...(and thus possibly slightly less accessible, which would explain the bigger following in her home country), but they both sing in emotional luxurious Portuguese, that brims with emotional & seductive overtones, but Bebel's music slightly more instrument focused, and Joyce relying on simpler instrument arrangements (via various experienced jazz musicians) & experience of vocal dexterity to see her through. Unquestionably recommended to those that have worn out their `Bebel Gilberto - Tanto Tempo' albums, and ready for the next logical step.

I have seen Joyce live and heard her mention this CD. She was of course very good friends with Elis Regina. A number of the tracks on this disc have some very interesting arrangements which at first forced me to step back but then on the second listen made me appreciate her artistry. This album is sensual and captures so much of Joyce's essence as well. I loaned this to a friend at work and it has been two weeks since I haven't listened to it. I had better get it back before I have to rush off and buy another.

Joyce is a fantastic guitar player, singer and composer. I saw the performance of this album in Curitiba, Brazil. Impressive, all the old Elis songs in Joyce's own interpretation!

Joyce's voice is ageless. She is emotionally subtler than Elis Regina but she had me engaged in every song and I do not understand Portuguese. Joe Lovano's tenor sax elevates an already fine CD. Joyce has only two originals here but one of them (Essa Mulher) may be the most beautiful song on the CD. My only complaint is the lyrics on the insert for Joyce's first North American release do not include English translations.

Barry Rosenberg [...]

Joyce is a very engaging musician. I first heard of her on the BET Jazz Channel(Bet On Jazz) about 9 yrs ago. Arrangements as a soloist and part of a trio were my first exposure to her music.
Amazon has provided necessary information that points out the extensive background that she has developed covering more than 25 yrs. This work of art
(Astronauta: Songs Of Elis) is of some compositions that Elis has influenced Joyce. The overall compositions are very good! There is great communication amongst the musicians that work with her.
It is an excellent set of music!