Fantastic
bordersj2 | Boston | 03/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a Marcos Valle fan for years. Although now it seems like it's only possible to obtain his older cd's via expensive Japanese imports, for the past 4-5 years he's released three terrific albums that more than solidified his return to main-stream MPB and bossa nova. From "Nova Bossa Nova" to "Escape" to now "Contrasts". Come a long way from the classic "Crickets Sing for Ana Maria"! Although I must admit, I certainly didn't pay this much money for this, brand new. What a fantastic album this is. While the first song was a good intro (not my favorite), the second track on kicks in some terrific Brazilian rythms, beats and harmonica which are just trademark Marcos Valle. He has a way of putting a soul into the music, a spirit and warmth into the tunes that gets you going. Check out Disfarça E Vem for an example. Even when he slows it down a notch with cuts like "Passatempo" you still feel it. The duet he did here with Joyce on "Valeu" was also terrific, and Parabens (Congratulations!) sort of gives you the gist of the cd. I highly recommend this. If you were a fan of "Escape", the cd which featured "On Line" and "Apaixonada Por Voce", you'll probably enjoy this. It will certainly make a heavy rotation for me this summer. As for the added remixed tracks - they are a nice touch and well done by some of the best remix artists in the business. And if you do like this and don't have "Escape", obviously you'll want to check that out along with Eli Goulart's newest cd titled "45". Something tells me the next Brazilectro compilation (vol 6) due this summer will feature songs from both of these artists' new releases."