Track Listing

1. Festa
2. Agora S� Falta Voc�
3. Menininha Do Port�o
4. N�o Vale a Pena
5. Dos Gardenias
6. Cara Valente
7. Santa Chuva
8. Menina da Lua
9. Encontros e Despedidas
10. Pagu
11. Lavadeira Do Rio
12. Veja Bem Meu Bem
13. Cupido
14. Cara Valente [Faixa Interativa][Multimedia Track]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21087 in Music
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-04-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Maria Rita could be considered the Norah Jones of Brazilian pop jazz/bossa nova for her familiar but fresh musical blend on this debut. She won 2004 Latin Grammys for best new artist of the year and best Brazilian pop album for her debut. The 13-track CD vibrates with her blend of traditional bossa nova, sophisticated pop, and jazzy freeflow style with the classic accompaniment of drums, piano, and acoustic bass. Although all of the songs are sung in Portugese, the varying sentiments of longing, sadness, celebration, and hope are not hard to understand. She is a strong, expressive singer who can shoot from a pleading whisper to a full-throated wail and back in a second. The daughter of famed Brazilian musicians--pop singer Elis Regina and and pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano--Rita is a fresh voice in a genre best enjoyed in speakeasy clubs and relaxed lounge parties. --Ramiro Burr

Customer Reviews

WOW
This is probably not fair at all to Maria Rita, but when I first heard this I thought I was going to faint; she sounds so much like her mother, it's frightening. It's also comforting in an odd way, almost as if she's channeling her mother. I don't know if that's what she is intending to do. She has wisely stayed away from her mother's standards and definitely has her own style, but the influence is unmistakable. You don't even have to know she's related to Elis to hear Elis in her voice.

The music on its own is excellent and Maria is a very talented vocalist...very smooth. If you enjoy Brazilian music or downtempo music like Norah Jones, you will probably like this...and if you're an Elis fan, you will ADORE it.

Highly Recommended
I first heard Maria Rita on the radio during my last trip to Brazil, and my initial reaction was to ask my friend, "Is that Elis Regina". After further listening, it became apparent that Maria has her own voice in music, but one thing that she has in common with her mother is that she sings with soul. I came back to the states with the cd as a souvenier, and it has been one of my favorite albums ever since. People probably think I'm crazy, because I can't help but to crank the car stereo and sing along to every word with Maria Rita.

Maria is fantastic, and her band compliments her so well. I really like the acoustic bass, the piano player in the band is extremely tasteful. I would recommend this album to anyone.

The Ghost of Elis Regina
I had the good fortune to hear Elis Regina and her genius partner in music and life, Cesar Camargo Mariano in concert. Now we have the fruit of this collaboration, their daughter Maria Rita, born in 1977. She has channeled her mother's voice, and I mean that as a compliment. I love her selection of material and the accompaniment. When I first heard this CD, I was sure her father played on it. Not so. I also am pleased that she is recording Milton Nascimento's material. Elis was one of the first to cover his tunes in the 1960's. In Brazil, they would call her a "porta bandeira," the one carrying on the legacy of her many predecessors.