Search - Ceu :: Vagarosa (Dig)

A Little Night Music in the Tropics

Amaranth | Northern California | 08/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"CeU's "Vagarosa" is an electrifying follow-up to her self-titled debut two years ago. She has honed her craft considerably, experimenting with a variety of sounds. Her debut was perfect coffee shop music--this one is more dreamlike, with the Moog and the Hammond organ. Imagine Bat for Lashes' "Two Suns" if it had a samba/reggae beat. "Vagarosa" is perfect for lounging and dreaming. Enjoy it with a cup of capirinha or Brazilian coffee.



"Vagarosa" opens with the simple "Sobre O Amor E Seu Trabalho Silencioso"--it's basically a duet between CeU and her guitarist. "Cangote" has a rippling reggae beat. The mellotron is featured in "Comadi." "Nascente" has a strong horn section,with a retro sound to it. CeU has rightly been equated with Gal Costa,the diva of Brazil's psychedelic Tropicalista movement. "Grains de Beaute" has a simple,acoustic beauty. "Ponteiro" evokes carnival music. "Rosa Menina Rosa" is lilting and dreamlike. The closing, "Espaconave" samples Amazon rainforest sounds. The riffs are reminiscent of Santana's jam sessions.



"Vagarosa" is hardly a sophomore slump. It's psychedelic samba! Venture into this colorful rainforest of music."

This one's a doozy!

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 08/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"CeU

"Vagarosa"

(Six Degrees, 2009)

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Wow. This record floored me, starting with the second track, "Cangote", a heavy, spooky dub reggae tune, mixed with Brazilian harmonics and some tweaky outside elements, including an Arabic-flavored lead organ and mellotron riffs that bring to mind the Ethiopian groove of Mahmoud Ahmed. It's so totally cool. The track that follows, "Comadi," also shows a strong familiarity with the best classic Jamaican dub, although this time with a ska-like uptempo vibe. Maybe Sly & Robbie never got to cut a session with Gal Costa back in the day, but if they had, it might have been this good. The tracks that followed were equally rich and rewarding, blending samba, jazz, bossa nova, indie rock and more dub in an entirely satisfying, confident mix. Along for the ride are Sao Paulo scenesters such as Gui Amabis, Curumin and Beto Villares, as well as a number of guest performers, including old-time soul star Luiz Melodia, who is surprisingly good in his duet cameo. Although there's still some of the sexy, mellow electronica cool of Ceu's labelmate Bebel Gilberto in the mix, these guys have gone way past the chill-room club mix mentality, and they're making some of the most adventurous yet sensuous music modern music coming out of Brazil today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Brazilian Music)"

More sofa than party time but great new Brasilian fusion!

Global SoulJah | Spain | 08/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ceu is one of the new wave of Brasilian female vocal talents and two years after her 2007 debut comes another collection of well-crafted, lazy, occasionally edgy, soulful grooves. The album title actually translates as `slow, easygoing and leisurely' so you get the idea, it's more sofa than party time.



The album kicks off in mellow acoustic style with Ceu extolling the joy of the invisible chemistry of love accompanied only by the distinctive Brasilian sound of the cavaquinho before the mood darkens slightly with `Cangote', her sweet vocals sitting on a jazzy dub reggae rhythm as turntable scratches, melodica and organ snippets swirl around the song's extremities to great effect giving us our first hint of Ceu's adventurous musicality.



Ceu isn't just another love obsessed singer songwriter though. The swinging reggae lilt of `Comadi' is a perfect frame as Ceu laments how much women have to struggle for their position in life, unfortunately still an everyday battle in Brasil's largely machismo society.



`Nascente' is another great example of acoustic instruments and electronic witchcraft combining in perfect harmony as Ceu decides to get all sultry and mysterious whilst some great jazz trumpet stabs away in the background.



Some of the albums most pleasing moments come though when the plug is pulled and Ceu's soulful voice sits on top of some plain old simple instruments as with `Grains de Beaute' and `Vira Lata', both tracks concerning affairs of the heart.



If fact the album is a great blend of the classic sweet Brasilian vocals and traditional instruments we know and love coupled with some pleasing fusions and experimental touches that give the album extra depth and interest.



From start to finish the album sucks you in and takes you through the musical world and many influences of an artist currently on top of her game backed by a wonderful cast of top Brasilian musicians and producers including Curumin, Pupillo and Dengue.



Global SoulJah

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