Although Cibelle is her debut, Brazilian singer Cibelle (pronounced "see-bell-ee") has already made a name for herself with standout appearances on Suba's landmark São Paolo Confessions and Otto's criminally overlooked Condom Black. This self-titled effort is cut from the same cloth with help from noted producer Apollo 9 and the sonic architects from Morcheeba. But even with this support, the chanteuse's sultry sing-song voice (think Bebel Gilberto and Astrid Gilberto) is rightly pushed to the fore, allowing her rich vocal nuances to shine through regardless of whether she is singing in Portuguese or English. She also immerses herself in the production and writing here, writing or co-writing nearly all the music using an even mix of live instrumentation and textured programming backdrops. Highlights include the loose and funky "No Prego"" the gentle ballad "I'll Be" and the nearly traditional samba "Só Sei Viver No Samba". This is a promising first step from a talented up-and-comer. --Tad Hendrickson
|
.gif
)
.gif)
(30).gif
)
.gif)