Customer Reviews

Tudo Bonito

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

 

 

After the great "Hard bossa", I was really looking forward to hear from Joyce again, and fortunately, it hasn't taken long! Here we have her newest album "Tudo bonito" (i.e. "All beautiful"), and that's what it is: a set of beautiful songs and more beautiful songs. As you can begin to notice in the cover art, this release has quite a strong (and delightful!) old-fashioned flavour. Along with her own new compositions, as "Prossiga", "Anos trinta" and "Adolescência", among others, Joyce includes several songs from the bossa nova era as "Sambou, sambou", "Só tinha de ser com você" and "Canto de Iemanjá", as well as the famous cha-cha-cha "Drume negrita". Swinging, scatting or crooning, her voice seems to be in better form than ever. Also, the jazzy arrangements are sober and compelling, with great horn solos. Especially funny are the patches played with a sixties-tinged electric piano. Very, very nice stuff.

In the mood for some Brazilian music a couple of weeks ago, I asked a friend who's VERY knowledgeable in this area for some advice -- he also knows what I like. He pointed out this disc to me, telling me that everything he had heard by Joyce was very nice, but that this was his favorite. I listened to a couple of tracks in the store, and I was hooked.

This is one of the most exciting discoveries I've made in some time. After doing a little on-line research, I found that Joyce has been around since the late 60s, performing in various ensembles as well as on her own. After buying two of her other cds -- HARD BOSSA (1999) and GAFIEIRA MODERNA (2001) -- I can see what a quality talent she possesses. Her voice is absolutely amazing -- warm and expressive, full of honest emotion, an instrument she utilizes with incredible ability and control. In addition, she's a fine songwriter. On all three of the discs I've acquired, she wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. This cd happens to have the largest number of works by other writers -- but she has chosen some beauties, by some of the best Brazil has to offer: Gilberto Gil, Joao Donato (and this master musician also appears on this recording, showing that he still has a lot to offer to the world), Vincius de Moraes, Baden Powell, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Not too shabby a group -- and that's in addition to Joyce's own writing.

The backing group is small, mostly acoustic instruments, perfectly suited to the material, never overbearing -- and the recording and production couldn't be better. Every single track is a standout -- this is a great addition to my collection, and I'm so happy to have discovered this talented artist.

Legendary Singer-Guitarist-Composer Joyce is teamed up here with another Legend: our admired Joao Donato; and the result is a very recommendable album with so much musiquality. (Joyce actually later returned the favor when Joao Donato recorded his superb album Mangarroba).

Many of the compositions here are by Joyce and the absolute stand-out is the one co-written with Joao Donato: Prossiga, (which features both of them singing and with their own instruments); it is a superb and elegant jazz piece.

Many of the other compositions are Bossa Nova and Brazilian Jazz standards like: Bananeira, Canto de Yemanja, So Tinha de Ser com Voce, and Sambou, Sambou.

And if all of this wasn't enough check the people who contributes in this terrific CD:

- Joao Donato / Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Vocals

- Joyce / Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

- Paulo Moura / Clarinet

- Teco Cardoso / Whole Flute family, Baritone Sax

- Joyce's husband Tutty Moreno / Drums, Percussions

- Marcos Suzano / Percussions

- Gilson Peranzzetta / Accordion

- Rodolfo Stroeter / Bass

etc. etc.

One of Joyce's best recordings by far.............. check it out.

Having read about this album in "Straight no chaser" late last year and having a few Joyce recordings I decided to indulge my loveof Joyce again and I have not been disappointed. This is a superb album that just lifts you. Coupled with Joao Donato it is a CD that should succeed and succeed it does. Nice to hear another version of Bananeira. What else can I say except Buy it!!

Having read about this album in "Straight no chaser" late last year and having a few Joyce recordings I decided to indulge my loveof Joyce again and I have not been disappointed. This is a superb album that just lifts you. Coupled with Joao Donato it is a CD that should succeed and succeed it does. Buy it!!