The heavenly one is back. Brazil’s sultry chanteuse, Céu, has a new CD titled Vagarosa. For those who missed her first CD, 2007’s self-titled release, Maria do Céu Whitaker Pocas is the hottest singer from her native land since Astrid Gilberto lit up the North American airwaves with Girl From Ipanema in the mid-1960s. Now it appears another tall, tan, young and lovely Brazilian is about to conquer the northern continents.
Céu, (pronounced Cell ) which means both "sky" and "heaven" in Portuguese, has expanded the traditional samba and bosa nova sounds with a variety of disparate influences that includes R&B, afro-beat, electronica, jazz, hip-hop, reggea and more, creating a catchy, seductive sound all her own.
She comes by her many influences honestly, growing up studying Brazil’s classical composers under her composer/musicologist father’s tutelage and having spent a year in New York City studying the varieties of popular music there. She calls her native city of Sao Paulo a musical melting pot.
Starbucks Hear Music Debut
Nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2006, her first CD became part of Starbucks Hear Music Debut series the following year, the first international entry to be so honored. The release, on San Francisco’s Six Degrees Records, zoomed to the top of Billboard’s World Music charts, ending the nearly two-year domination of Celtic Women.
In Vagarosa, Céu continues that winning formula with a little less flash and more focus and subtlety, but with the same spirit of relaxation - Vagarosa means leisurely - and playfulness.
Here the blending of past and present, acoustic and electronic, is more spare and traditional than in her debut. There is more brass, more jazz-inspired stylings. The first cut on the CD sets the tone. Sobre o Amor e Seu Trabalho Silencioso (Concerning Love and Its Silent Work), is a vocal accompanied only by a cavaquinho, a traditional Brazilian instrument similar to a ukulele.
As on her first effort, there is one song with English lyrics, Papa, a brief little ditty that simply says, Don’t take yourself too seriously. The message is emphasized by the song’s brevity and is seemingly a counterpoint to some of the other songs’ serious concerns: songs like Comadi that Céu co-wrote with her longtime collaborator and producer Beto Villares and that she explains is about how much women struggle for their position in life.
The production of the album started in mid-2008 at Ambulante Studios in São Paulo, Brazil. In addition to Villares, Céu teamed up with producer and engineer Gustavo Lenza (Céu's touring engineer for the past 4 years) and soundtrack producer Gui Amabis.
Brazilian Beat
By cutting back on this CD, moving in a leaner direction, Céu shows her growth as an artist. Here she relies more on her own ample abilities as a singer. Bubuia and Grains de Beaute, for example, are sweet, sensual caresses that evoke the best of traditional Latin music.
Vagarosa would be impressive enough were she just an interpreter. But the fact that she has written all these songs, except on Jorge Ben's Rosa Menina Rosa is truly amazing.
Vagarosa is a rich, enlivening experience for music lovers of any stripe, especially those with a taste for the Brazilian beat.
