Cibelle

CIBELLE - Cibelle
Six Degrees, 2003

I can't believe this is a debut album. One of the better new releases we've had from Brazil recently, this is a highly appealing blend of organic downtempo electronica and soulful neo-bossa. Cibelle, who wrote most of the songs and also co-produced, has only been on the scene since 1999 (when she sang with Suba), and here matches perfectly with electronics wiz Apollo 9. The album is so confident, so poised, and of such high quality, that Cibelle cannot be called an up-and-comer. She's already arrived. Highly recommended!

Try any track. Fo's Picks: 2, *4*, 5, 6, 10

1. 5:19 – sexy/cool groove weaves through an almost deadpan vocal. Very nice.
2. 4:43 – sultry samba w/ acoustic guitar & percussion. Classic.
3. 5:46 – upbeat pop, acoustic & electronic elements well-balanced. Silly English lyrics.
4. 5:04 – Wow! sparkling downtempo ballad, a bit retro, absolutely gorgeous!
5. 6:18 – catchy little riff & quiet synth swirl behind spare, almost-spoken English vocal
6. 3:27 – upbeat, breathless voc & cool rare-groove/cinematic samples. cute & fun.
7. 6:02 – retro r&b-jazz, like a Brazilian Sade. Very cool if you dig that. English lyrics.
8. 5:14 – groovy spinning pop, surprising melodic hook. English/French lyric.
9. 3:37 – slow, jazzy Jobim song: electric piano, swirling samples, laid-back duet voc.
10. 5:04 – trippy! a spooky synthscape yields a pleasant yet unsettling minor melody
11. 9:36 – 4 ½ mins. of slow, sad, elec piano & vox. 3 mins. silence, hidden jazz track.

[ Fo ] - 7/17/03