Chill: Brazil

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Marcos Valle (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: A quick survey of the track listing of Warner Music Latina's Chill: Brazil collection is sure you make you salivate if you're into Brazilian music, especially any kind with a bossa nova slant. Marcos Valle, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bebel Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, Os Cariocas, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Banda Black Rio -- these are just some of the most-recognizable names, not to mention many of the others present here who may not be overly familiar to anyone not knee-deep into the many wonders of Brazilian music. And too, these artists are represented by standout recordings, not cheaply licensed latter-day efforts or anything else even mildly disappointing. So does Chill: Brazil play like a greatest-hits of Brazil collection? Well, kinda -- the music here is certainly top-shelf Brazilian music of the late 20th century, spanning a few decades and even dipping into the 21st century, but it's not presented like a greatest-hits album. It's actually a mix album. The tracks are subtly blended into one another, resulting in a seamless listen that transitions well, even as it time travels. Much praise goes to Marcos Valle for compiling this excellent collection of music. He's not credited with the "soft mix," but his expertise and taste is much in evidence. As for that "soft mix," it can be mildly annoying if you're the type of person who likes to edit your CDs. You know, like if you were to pick and choose some tracks from this collection for one of your oh-so-awesome iTunes play lists. If you're one of those bedroom DJs who prefers iPods and CD-Rs to commercial product like this, you're going to have slightly screwy intros and outros for the songs you lift from this mix. That heads-up aside, there's really nothing to complain about here (well, maybe the "chill" billing is a misnomer, as this is far from a run-of-the-mill "chillout" Muzak mix). Warner Music Latina has put together a great series of collections here -- from the double-disc packaging to the superstar compiler, to the soft mixing, to the black-check licensing -- and anyone even slightly into Brazilian music is sure to eat these collections up. So here you are; bon app�tit! ~ Jason Birchmeier

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