Really beautiful vocal work from Corinne Chatel – spare tunes that mostly feature overdubbed vocal passages, sung wordlessly, often with a very musical feel – yet one that's quite offbeat too! There's a quality here that really reminds us of some of our favorite Meredith Monk work from years back – really imaginative, and never gimmicky at all – with an approach that's very abstract, yet somehow all makes complete sense too – logic that's all its own, yet really beautiful overall! Titles include "Call", "Les Sirenes", "Heartbeats", "Berceuse", "Angels Vocalizing", "Awakening The Goddess", and "South India". ~ Dusty Groove
A really compelling blend of sounds – and a set that's billed as a hip hop album, but which is way way more than that – more a wonderful hybrid of global styles, all wrapped up with the crispness of the contemporary Brazilian underground! The set begins with a number that's straight out Afro Funk, the rolls into tracks that really run the gamut – a hip hop number or two, other African styles, and most especially, some of those cool genre-defying moments that we've really come to love from Brazil in recent years. Criolo's vocals are wonderful, especially when he's singing – with a warmth that takes us back to singers of the samba soul generation – and titles include "Bogota", "Mario", "Subirusdoistiozin", "Linha De Frente", "Lion Man", "Sucrilhos", and "Samba Sambei". ~ Dusty Groove
International superstar Andrea Bocelli will release his new studio album, Passione on January 29. Filled with romance and beauty, Passione is a lush collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with global pop stars Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, and the late Edith Piaf. The album reunites Bocelli with 16-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster, who produced Bocelli's 2006 release Amore, which sold more than 4.2 million copies. Passione is in essence the second volume of Amore, with a "fil rouge" which ideally connects the albums. As with Amore, which featured timeless masterworks, Passione includes several beloved classics such as "Love Me Tender," "Girl From Ipanema," and "Sarà Settembre," (better known to English-speaking audiences as Neil Diamond's "September Morn"). Jennifer Lopez is featured on the soft and sensual track "Quizás Quizás Quizás" and Nelly Furtado joins Bocelli on "Corcovado." The album also features a duet with the late French chanteuse Edith Piaf on the song "La Vie En Rose." On the album, Bocelli sings in six languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan) with his unmistakable voice, as Foster accompanies him on piano, along with Peruvian guitarist Ramon Stagnaro. The sensual sound is rounded out by Cuban, Brazilian, and Portuguese rhythms and a 63-piece orchestra recorded in London.