Natural

Celso Fonseca | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Six Degrees
• ASIN: B00008J2FE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,905 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After a successful career in Brazil reaching back two decades, Celso (pronounced "SELL-so") Fonseca is finally making his solo debut in the United States. Fonseca has produced, written for, arranged, or played on albums by such stars as Baden Powell and Gilberto Gil, as well as younger artists like Bebel Gilberto and Virginia Rodrigues. Natural, however, makes it abundantly clear that he is just as adept in the lead role as singer and star. Here he chooses to create modern but elegant bossa novas that sound hip but, unlike Bebel Gilberto’s electronic music-oriented Tanto Tempo, are mostly done using traditional acoustic instruments. With an emphasis on voice (he sounds like a young Caetano Veloso) and acoustic guitar, Fonseca has a strong collection of nine originals rounded out with Jobim and Powell covers. Aptly proving how skilled Fonseca is with his art, "The Night We Called It A Day" and "Slow Motion Bossa Nova" are rare examples of English language bossa novas that gracefully capture the music’s essence. --Tad Hendrickson

Product Description

Celso Fonseca is a unique singer and brilliant songwriter who bears the torch of the classic bossa/samba Brazilian sound. He has collaborated with such luminaries as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto.

Celso Fonseca's Natural is a great listening experience - smooth, sensual, pure, warm, caressing, and seductive. An integral part of Rio's up and coming generation of singers and songwriters, Celso has recorded, produced and performed with some of Brazil's brightest stars.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acoustic Bossa Nova, January 22, 2004

By 

Eric Vondy "Eric Vondy" (Phoenix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Natural (Audio CD)

This is a stripped down bossa nova album. Gone are the electronics of Bebel Gilberto. Gone is the syrupy strings of Astrid Gilberto. Instead there is acoustic guitar, percussion, bass, and piano. Many of the songs are slow and intrcate (there is a Baden Powell cover here after all). It's a beautiful CD but lacks the innate catchiness to make it great. It's meant to be listened to quietly rather than blasted out of speakers of a dance club. All the ingrediants are here to be outstanding but Fonesca doesn't quite pull it off. Stand out tracks: Slow Motion Bossa Nova, The Night We Called it a Day, She's a Carioca, and Minha Dalva de Oliveira. If you like the Woman on Top soundtrack, you should like this.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buying this is the "Natural" thing to do!!, April 9, 2003

By 

D. Hawkins (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural (Audio CD)

Well, Six Degrees has gone and done it again. First, they showed us how brilliant Celso Fonseca was when they included "Bom Sinal" on "The Now Sound of Brazil." His voice, that guitar and the beautiful piano of Daniel Jobim sucked me right in. Then they go and release his debut album which will probably become adhered to the inside of my CD player since it will stay there all summer long!! What a masterful recording. Just like the rest of Six Degrees wonderful releases (Bebel, Suba, etc.), it's mellow without devolving into elevator music. Percussion, piano and various subtle keyboard touches elevate these songs into Bossa Nova heaven. The flugelhorn on "Febre" is an especially beautiful touch. Six Degrees Records is so bloody good that I will buy anything from them without hearing a note. In fact, you can just go to the Six Degrees store here at Amazon, close your eyes, and click blindly, and you will assuredly love whatever comes in the mail! Six Degrees Records is here to singlehandedly save the music industry. Do your part to spread the word by buying this amazing disc. And have a nice summer in Rio!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow - Another Winner, March 13, 2003

By 

bordersj2 (Boston) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Natural (Audio CD)

My cd of the summer couldn't have come at a better time! I can tell this will already be one of those "best kept secrets". I put this in and immediately wanted ot open the sunroof and head to the beach! Ziriguiboom/Crammed - sixdegrees, the same label that brought you the late Suba, Bebel Gilberto, Bossa Cuca Nova, Brasil 2Mil and Now Sound of Brazil and etc. have added Celso Fonseca to their growing and impressive roster of musicians from Brazil.

This is a fantastic cd. It is fresh, it has soul, and it is very romantic. Put it on, and you automatically begin to unwind. I admit that I am a bit novice to Celso Fonseca's big bossa history, hearing little more than tracks here and there. To compare his style - it reminds me so much of Vinicius Cantuaria's "Vinicius" cd, only not as dark, and IMO I enjoy Celso's voice more + this cd more. The CD starts out with Bom Sinal, as heard on Now Sound of Brazil, then goes into the acoustic feel which pretty much dominates this cd in Sem Resposta.

Later on in the CD, you have a real treat - a remake of the classic "Carioca". This remake is a duet that features the smoothed out voice of Cibelle (Suba - Tantos Desejos). Before this cut though is a pretty cool remake of Baden Powell's classic Consolacao.

I must admit, I thought this would be a good release, but not this good. I love it. And of course, if you enjoy this, you should check out Bebel Gilberto's Tanto Tempo, Vinicius Cantuaria's "Vinicius" and "Tocuma", and I'd recommend looking into Joao Gilberto's classic material as well. Also be on the lookout - Cibelle is also slated to release an album sometime this year. Terrific quality, terrific arrangement, talent through and through - this is great music. Pick this up!