2007-11-29
Luciana Souza's "The New Bossa Nova" presents a new flavor to her past contributions to jazz vocals. The Brazilian-born jazz vocalist offers a fresh taste to an impressive collection of adult-contemporary hits. Tapping into her inner Joni Mitchell, Souza's first release on the Universal Jazz France label offers up reinterpretations on a wide range of hits, such as The Beach Boys "God Only Knows," Steely Dan's "Were You Blind That Day," Joni Mitchell's "Down to You" and a soulful duet with James Taylor on his song "Never Die Young." "Down to You" and Sting's "When We Dance" are the albums shining moments. This 11-song feature offers fresh bossa nova styling paired exquisitely with Souza's soothing jazz vocals in this artistic adventure for the singer. - Daniel J. GraeberThe opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.