Customer Reviews

The New Bossa Nova

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my first album for Luciana Souza and I am well impressed. Smooth voice; Smooth re composition for each song, James Taylor nicely adding his lovely voice on "Never die Young"; This album is a bouquet of nice songs of Sting, James Taylor, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Brazilian Bossa Nova? No.
Bossa Nova Luciana Souza's style? Absolutely.
Highly recommended for all the smooth Jazz, Smooth Rock and Bossa Nova lovers, who are into some great music, composed by all the artists I mentioned above, played, twisted and sang in an absolutely lovely and charming way.
4 stars or 5 are well deserved.
Other well recommended album of a similar great style:
Joni Mitchell: Turbulent Indigo
Joni Mitchell: Taming the Tiger

I love Brazilian music but, the truth be told, I especially love the classics. Among the many CDs I have of bossa nova and sambas, I tend to listen the most to the many versions I have of the same "old" stuff from Jobim, Joao Gilberto, etc. So here comes this carefully selected set of--for the most part--classic rock pieces, sang with a beautiful voice in a Brazilian style! These sound new and fresh, as if they had just been written to be played this way. And to top it all, a trip back to the classics with one of the most beautiful renditions I have heard of águas de março.
I am embarrassed to say that I did not know about Luciana Souza, but I am sure to become a fan of hers now.

I love Brazilian music and bossa nova. I thought this set held real promise based on having heard a few cuts and an interview with Souza.
But the collection takes no risks and ultimately is boring. Almost all of the familiar tunes (e.g., the James Taylor cut)add nothing to the original and this listener concluded: "Why bother?"

Bossa nova has been in Luciana Souza's blood since she was a child growing up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the early '60s as the daughter of two of its innovators, Walter Santos and Tereza Sousa.
So, after six critically acclaimed albums where her expansive, homegrown Brazilian musical vocabulary converged with American jazz, the three-time Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based vocalist returns to the wellspring and explores bossa nova from a different slant on "The New Bossa Nova," produced by her husband, jazz musician/producer Larry Klein"(D.Quellette-Reuters).
"The New Bossa Nova" marks an exciting new chapter for the Brazilian-born vocalist and three-time Grammy nominee, who's already widely acknowledged as one of jazz's most respected and accomplished vocalists.
The 12-song album finds the artist crafting a fresh and highly personal variation on the beloved bossa nova style.
Luciana Souza's CD, which translates fully as 'the new new groove', is a reminder of how much bossa nova lies embedded inside a whole strain of contemporary American music, as in the first two songs, by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor respectively.
In the first, "Down To You", she sounds remarkably like Joni Mitchell, or maybe it's because Mitchell's jazz phrasing is actually more akin to Brazilian.
The same is true for James Taylor's "Never Die Young", which features the American singer/songwriter, who joins Souza for a soulful duet reading of his song.
In this context, James Taylor's relaxed vocals sound like so much Musica Popular Brasiliera.
The rest is material from composers from Randy Newman to Leonard Cohen, Sting, and the godfather of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim. In this spirit, the Brazilian-born Souza manages to sound true to both her birthplace and the United States, where she currently lives.
Her well-trained voice is comfortable with all idioms, backed by a tight Brazilian jazz combo. There is a new new groove abroad, which is to say, at home.
The resulting album confirms Souza's reputation as both a world-class vocalist and a versatile, consistently adventurous creative force.
The project is Souza's first collaboration with her husband, producer/musician Klein, whose extensive resume encompasses work with artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux, Freddie Hubbard, Peter Gabriel and Wayne Shorter.
"The New Bossa Nova" also features a stellar cast of players including tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Romero Lubambo, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Scott Colley, vibraphonist Matt Moran and drummer Antonio Sanchez.
My favourite tracks : "Never Die Young", "Down to You" and "Waters of March".
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The "sensual sadness and nostalgia" in Souza's voice and this musical form is perfect for those contemplative moments and memories. Reviewed on NPR, this is gently rendered selection of fine songs by a beautiful voice.

Luciana S has an amazing Jazz-diva voice. The lyrics are haunting and the bossa-nova tunes can now be appreciated even if you don't understand Portuguese!

I had heard songs by this artist and thought I would try an album...very dissappointed in it..it will go to the Goodwill...since I can't return it...

This is a fine recording. The collection of songs is well thought out; there is good variation; you can get a good sense of the singer's talents; the instrumentals are clear and present. Recording quality is good to very good. This is the first recording that I have purchased of Ms. Souza, based on this I will look for more.

While I can't honestly say I love every track, the ones I do love I love a lot ! The first three in particular are fabulous ...

Luciana Souza's efforts can be hit or miss affairs in my opinion. I have her first Brazilian Duos album which is a very good album but some of her other work is dull and sometimes a bit pretentious, (Neruda, anyone?)

Except this one here. The New Bossa Nova by Souza is sensual, low key, nostalgic with a slightly different Bossa Nova take on these well known songs by other musicians. My favorite songs are God Only Knows, Love is For Strangers and Here It Is. Absolutely beautiful songs on an album full of great songs. Souza's wonderful contralto voice wafts gently over these tunes and can take you to an intimate cafe on a summer evening or on the beach, walking along golden sand. A very good album to have in your collection if you like Bossa Nova.