Uma Batida Diferente
For their third album, the merry pranksters of Bossacucanova are up to their old tricks but the magic is stronger than ever. Brazilian bossa nova was born in the 1960s and soon took the world by storm. Like all great make-out music, it was so laid-back it was virtually prone. But this was a multi-layered phenomenon, an intellectual yet lushly melodic sound constructed over a swaying, subtly irresistible rhythmic undertow. DJ Marcelinho DaLua, bassist Márcio Menescal and keyboardist Alexandre Moreira have been deftly updating the groove's whispery charms, granting it a modern context via audacious, creatively applied beats and electronica. If anything, they've taken the metamorphosis a bit further this time. However, their touch remains reverent, humorous, inventive and miles removed from overkill. Just how this youthful trio has managed to emphasize the style's muted jazz inflections while kicking out the jams is a delightful conundrum and invites repeated listening.--Christina Roden