Red Hot + Rio: Pure Listening Pleasure

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Free Music Notes for Red Hot + Rio: Pure Listening Pleasure

Free Music Review: Eclectic, fun, different -- worth a try
Hit: 5 Stars

There are several reasons I like this CD. For one, the proceeds go to benefit AIDS awareness efforts. Second, this is good "background" music -- even when upbeat it allows you to hold a conversation and not get distracted by the music. But the coolest thing is the selection of music itself.

"Red, Hot & Rio" contains almost a mini-evolution of Brazilian music. It starts out mellow and somewhat traditional. The sound of the bossa nova "Desafinado," for instance, is quite laid-back and timeless. But gradually, the music begins to rev up, as current performers experiment with classic sounds. Some techno beats are thrown in, some modern hooks, lots of interesting drums and percussion, even some rap. The end of the CD sounds completely different from the beginning of it -- almost like you've just gone through 40 years of Brazilian music on one CD.

I can't honestly say I love all the songs; I tend to favor the first half of the CD over the second, save a couple of songs (such as "Refazenda"). But that's the beauty of CDs: You simply skip over those songs you don't care for.

Of course, people who like the "original" bossa nova or samba sounds will be disappointed. They don't want the music to have changed and evolved, but to remain exactly the same as it was 40+ years ago. (Ironically, samba enthusiasts felt the same way about the bossa nova movement in the 1950s.) But that's what I love about this CD. It pushes the limits of this style of music. The core of all the songs is the same, just the techniques and deliveries have changed. That's what makes it interesting.

People who have records of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Gilberto Gil and expect this to sound like more of the same should stay away from this CD. People who are open-minded to experimentation with a classic style of music would be more likely to embrace it.

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