Search - Ivete Sangalo :: Festa Universal

GREAT music, WORTH BUYING

raindancer4 | Hampton Roads, VA USA | 05/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Festa is great! Lots of fun, very contemporary, but I still like Beat Beleza and her debut album more. Also buy the music from when she was in Banda Eva first, then buy this album. Ivete's voice is sensational though! She and Daniela Mercury are the queens of Brazilian beat."

Not Daniela, but solid

J. Rassen | 02/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ivete seems to have taken the Axe torch from Daniela Mercury, which is fine, and she certainly does a better job with it than, say, Jay Leno with Carson's.Ivete puts on a great show and also produces fine records. There are some fantastic, peppy songs on here, including the title track. I think "E Tudo Mais" would be catchy enough to be a hit with any set of lyrics in any language (and as it is has a nice Cole Porter-esqe lyrical run in the chorus). "Tum Tum Goiaba" is silly and fun. This is a totally engaging album, and definitely worth purchasing. But if you want the real thing, check out some Daniela Mercury too (especially "Electrica", her recent live album)."

Disappointed. Ivete can definitely do better!

silhouette_of_enchantment | USA | 08/31/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I actually enjoyed Ivete's sophomore effort much better than "Festa." It is sort of disappointing to me, that Ivete's "Festa" album is following a similar path as Daniela Mercury. Ivete Sangalo's "Festa," like Daniela Mercury's current release, "Sou De Qualquer Lugar," venture away from their Axe roots and experiment more with electronica, techno, drum and bass. I think it's sad that artists like Ivete and Daniela are beginning to mimic and incorporate the very production trends which have made American music blase and unexciting. I am not sure if their sudden changes in style have been influenced by the decline of Axe music sales in Brazil, which a Brazilian e-magazine states has been occuring since 1999.



I just want to say that this is not a horrible album, but I just don't believe that this is Ivete's best. Ivete's "Festa" is danceable, but, many of the tracks are forgettable. There are no captivating songs like she had on her last album like "Vira Vira," "Rosa Roseria," and "Empurra Empurra." This time, her dance songs are not as fun to sing along with.



The first song, "Ruas e Rios" surprises with a vocalized sample (like those found in Daft Punk and Dirty Vegas' tracks.) Ivete sings in English, "Up and Down, Up and Down, Here and Now." This song has more of a New York Garage techno feel to it mixed with a little axe. The experiment doesn't quite go off flawlessly, but I still thought it was catchy.



The second track, Festa, begins with flutes that allude to an African music at the beginning, then slides into more of a poppy feel. The end of the song is akward at best. It ends with a crowd chanting singing the lyrics to Festa. I think, but am not quite sure, that Ivete was trying to recapture the aura and electricity of her live performances like she had with Banda Eva, like her highly recommend "Ao Vivo" album. It fails to do this, in my opinion.



My favorites on the album were the duet that she does with R&B superstar Brian McKnight. The piano introduction was simply beautiful, and his voice smooth. I loved hearing Ivete singing in Portuguese along side with Brian. But, for some reason, I felt that Ivete was not using the full power of her voice...so, to me it came off a little strained. I know that others will disagree with me. My other favorite song on "Festa" was "Penso," which means "I think" in English. It's a really bubble-gum pop love song, but in my opinion it's delightful and cute.



I really, really hope that Ivete and Daniela Mercury, for that matter do not stray to far from the things which made them superstars in the first place. They are two of the best singers in Brazil, in my opinion..and two of my all-time favorite divas. I just hope that Ivete's next album (after her release of Greatest Hits this year) will be special."