Yes, she sounds just like her mom, the legendary Brazilian singer Elis Regina and yes, the publicity surrounding her Grammy winning debut CD a few years ago probably created the one mountain she would not want to climb, but the fact is that Maria Rita has caused a stir in Brazilian music that is rare and wonderful. And she’s done it in record time.
Our version of Segundo’ is a CD/DVD 2 disc combo that finds Maria Rita singing live in the studio – allowing for a warm, spontaneous setting that contrasts her debut recording. Much of the credit here goes to producer Lenine, who brings the sharp edge of his MPB skills to Rita’s jazzy approach. Rita’s delivery is nuanced and well developed, and this acoustic set helps to frame her strengths nicely, without resorting to the beat box tricks of the trade heard all to often from a crowded field of up and coming young female singers.
Part of this stems from the piano play of Tiago Costa (he also arranged many of the songs of this album) who is so absolutely in touch with the vocalist’s tendencies that he can lead or follow as the musical flow dictates; with a intimate blend of jazz that occasionally finds a more contemporary flourish throughout the album. This translates into an honest and unqualified recording that can stand firmly on its own, without the support of family to qualify it. This is a perfect, jazzy late night or relaxing Sunday morning CD.
Down Beat magazine gave this CD 4 stars out of 5, writing "The trio's jazz-inflected harmonies and improvisations are balanced with a sophisticated adult pop sensibility, providing settings that are both concise and open-ended." JazzTimes continued the praise: "Rita is more of a tropical storm that occasionally softens to a bracing offshore breeze without ever losing power."
While we are not convinced that Maria Rita is Brazilian music’s equivalent of the second coming (could the New York Times gush any more than it already has?), her talent is obvious, and although the aggressiveness of her record label in Brazil has caused a few miscues, we’re more than willing to give Maria Rita - who spent several college years living in NYC under the watchful eye of her father Cesar Camargo Mariano - the time she deserves to grow musically on her on.
Now, if the media would just leave her alone…
The DVD features a bonus "Making Of" film and is in NTSC format, for all regions.
