Customer Reviews

Zumbi

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

 

 

The most recent best in the line of Caetano-Arto Lindsay- Marissa Monte- Otto -Bebel Gilberto, Andrea Marquee has a grip on the best of Brazillian tradition and what is happening now. A heavy electronic funk backing holds up a lighter vocal, and all the detail is filled in with the brazillian/African percussion. A great record.

It's a mystery and a shame that it's hard to find Marquee's music--and, for that matter, that she doesn't appear to have recorded anything in about eight years. Zumbi is an infectious, adventurous but very approachable record, more or less midway stylistically between two other "New Sound of Brazil" records released around the same time, Bebel Gilberto's Tanto Tempo and Cibelle's The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves. Its traditional Brazilian, jazz, funk and dance-club influences are fully digested into an alternately danceable, alternately down-tempo blend that will make you listen even as you're dancing. For the curious, I recommend giving a listen to both the title track and the the arty bossa nova of "Balanco." Of course, if you've even found your way here, it's very likely you've already heard something by her--in which case, I enthusiastically urge you to get this before it disappears . . . and tell your friends to get hip to her as well.

I love Andrea Marquee's voice. She's just so talented a singer, her range and passion, its great. This album, "Zumbi", represented her first real solo effort after being affiliated with a few random groups in Brazil (Heartbreakers). And Andrea's talents don't end at the recording studio - she's quite the actress and live stage performer, featuring in numerous plays and musicals in Brazil. This CD was probably the first CD I ever ordered off of Amazon.com and I only ordered it because I couldn't find it anywhere. I was introduced to Andrea's voice on the compilation Brasil 2Mil, released one year earlier, and knew this had to be great.

Was it great? Well, it was pretty good. But not a full five star effort mainly because the tunes on here aren't timeless. The concept is really remaking a few of old classics in Brazilian MPB, from Caetano (everyone remakes his work...) to Chico Buarque. The sound has a pretty raw feel to it and not all the tracks got me (the raps & beat-boxing). However you can hear her range and the sweetness in her voice in tracks like Maldita Cama (cursed bed) and No more tears was sort of funny. Yet some of the songs had me thinking "that's cute", and then flipping to the next after 45 seconds. And as much as I like her, that's what bugs me about her. It seems like she never got the right sound around her extremely sensual voice and is left to continue experimenting with sounds and effects.

All in all, this isn't a bad debut for the multi-talented artist but I wouldn't recommend shelling out big bucks for this. She has some more modern stuff too. Check any of the three (at least that I know of) <BPM> cds on the market; there are two in the USA and one double disc set I know of in Brazil. "Autumn Leaves" is a pretty sexy cut - the girl's definitely into hip-hop. Yet in some ways even there she suffers from the same thing on even the BPM releases, just like on the tune she did with I think Apollo 9 on Caipirissima - the specific electronica in her songs makes it almost impossible for the tracks to be timeless. I really wish she had the chance to work with Suba (RIP) - seems like that would have been the perfect partnership, especially after hearing "Carmesim" on Brasil 2Mil. Then again, a lot of divas would have benefited from his genius (Bebel's new one, Cibelle, Katia B, Taciana, etc.)

Whatever you do, stay away from "Fama", her "Best Moments" cd. That's a release dedicated to her show-tunes... one of which includes a remake of "Living La Vida Loca". **shudders**

This album was very interesting. Honestly it didn't impress me at first but after a few go-rounds it had a way of growing on me. Now I love it! I picked it up after hearing her work with "The Heartbreakers" and her amazing new sound in the Brasil 2Mil compilation. This CD is a new sound altogether - different even from "Carmesim" on Brasil 2Mil (which is not on this album) As sweet, soulful and melodic as Andrea Marquee's voice is, she would have benefitted if the late Suba could have arranged this CD and produced some of the tracks. Still, it is a good album + get if if you're looking for that underground, electronic "Sao Paulo" sound. But by all means pick it up. If you like Suba, or the six-thousand degrees sounds, it's very similar. And get it via Amazon.com b'cause it's near impossible to find in the stores...

Notable tracks are 2,3,7, and 11-14.