The artists on this are fantastic. From Gal Costa do Vinicius De Moraes, you're taken on a real trip through some of the classics in Brazilian music. Perhaps most interesting and stellar of which is the Elis Regina only vocal of Waters of March. It has such an innocent sound! Carlos Lyra's "Influencia Do Jazz" will take you to a beach in the late 60's, and Baden Powell's Consolacao has that rich acoustic sound I've grown up with and love. And check out Joao Gilberto's song here along with Gal Costa's tracks... She's a VERY underrated singer IMO. But this CD isn't without fault. The sound quality can be suspect on some tracks, and a song or two weren't what I would have selected from the musicians here. (You can find "Aguas De Beber" and "Girl from Ipanema" on virtually every compilation.

Still I would have to recommend this. It's not that expensive, and out of most of the Bossa Nova/MPB samplers, this is one of the better ones IMO. For the make of Samba De Bencao, Elis Regina, Baden Powell, Tamba Trio (who did the wildly successful take of "Mas Que Nada" that featured in the 1998 World Cup commercial with Brazilian footballers in an airport) and the others... good tunes. Also check out Nova Bossa Nova - a companion piece to "Red Hot & Rio". There is some overlap, but the other version of Baden Powell's cut on that comp is better than this one IMO. Maybe also check out Bossa Nova Gold, a two disc set of MPB and Bossa Nova.

28 of 33 found the following review helpful:


Great introduction to bossa nova  May 17, 2000 By tropic_of_criticism
This great introduction to Bossa Nova couldn't be a better value-for-money. Sampling from each of the major trends in the genre, _Bossa Nova Brasil_ will turn the mildest curiosity in the rhythms into a genuine interest. This is great I-just-got-off-work-and-I've-got-a-date-in-an-hour music. Put it on in your car to unwind and enjoy the ride. Or throw open your windows on a spring day and celebrate the change of seasons. Or share it with someone you love to dance embarrassingly unwell with. Whatever you do, though, give bossa nova a try, and trust that this collection will be an excellent way to start.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:


A stick a stone...  Sep 16, 1999
Great compilation with great artists; it reminds you of a sunset beach in Brasil. Elis Regina's solo origanal of Waters of March is timeless and Leila Pinheiro's Pra Iluminar is one of the smoothest sambas I had ever heard. Other artists don't disappoint. A must have for any Bossa Nova collection.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


wonderful variety  Dec 03, 1998
Excellent for anyone wanting to explore or relive the music of Brasil. I love it and listen to it all the time. I'm from Brasil so this was a GREAT find amidst all the other junk CDs. All the songs are wonderful and very listenable. And I remembered almost all of the artists from when I was still living there. The only song that kind of dissappointed me was 'Chega de Saudades' becasue it is only instrumental and i'm used to the sung version but it's ok cause the illustrious Tom Jobim (who will remain in our hearts forever) plays it on his piano.

8 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Uplifting afternoon music  Sep 04, 2003 By marti mcginnis
Put this on as a soundtrack for the perfect afternoon. It will bring summer to winter, yet cool off a sultry August day. There are other more comperhensive reviews here, and it was by reading them that I bought this. I am happy I did!

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