BERNARDINHO: thumbs up
01/16/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Katia B's inaugural effort scores high on the musical subtlety meter, especially compared to her MPB (musica popular brasileira = Brazilian pop music) compatriates. But perhaps it's unfair to categorize her alongside any paulista pop diva wannabe's. Her music more resembles electronica, at times downtempo and at other times brasilectro, but less bossa-fueled and samba-inspired than one might anticipate, which is actually a good thing.
The melodies are hardly predictable, yet very often catchier and easier on the ears after the umpteenth listen than the best radio pop. Her lyrics are introspective and profound in their simplicity, tackling the most basic of emotions with metaphorical clarity unrivalled in most contemporary songwriters, in Portuguese or English or otherwise.
Her voice does not disappoint either. She coos in a smooth and entrancing manner without lapsing into ostentation or overtrained emotion. Although there are only a few really fantastic songs on the album (see/hear the first 4 tracks and track 10) none are that bad.
The weakness, if one must be noted, is that the style-shifting from one song to another could be smoother; the album is basically a compilation of some very good modern brazilian electro-alternative pop that, while performed by the same artist, does not always sound like it does.
A minor flaw, if that. She improves on this point and all other fronts (yes, lyrically and musically) on her followup album from 2003: [...]
If you like Rosalia De Souza, Cibelle, Suba (who worked with Katia B before his death), and Bebel Gilberto's remixes, you will likely find some space in your CD rack or MP3 player for this, Katia B's largely unheralded debut.
"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1