Vento De Maio (May Wind)
Brazil is a country rich on pop vocalists--and seemingly  producing talented new ones every day. Yet Elis Regina Carvalho da  Costa (1945-1982) remains the impossible standard to which they can  only look up. A lithe but strong voice, impeccable enunciation, precise  phrasing, complete control of color and nuance, easy sense of swing,  power--Regina had it all. Listen to the poignancy of "Outro Cais"  (Another Pier) and "So Deus e Quem Sabe" (Only God Knows), her blues- like grit in "O Trem Azul" (The Blue Train), or her power in the  elegiac "O Que Foi Feito Devera" (De Vera) (sung with Milton  Nascimento). Then be surprised by her bright, exact, playful singing in  "Calcanhar de Aquiles" (Achilles's Heel) or "Sai Dessa" (Get Off It).  Some of the instrumental parts may sound quaintly dated (the electric  pianos, the rock guitars) but her voice and her singing is timeless.--Fernando Gonzalez