Search - S-Tone Inc. :: Moon in Libra

Back to the 2002-2003 style - A Great Move!

bordersj2 | Boston | 05/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It really has been a while since the last Break & Bossa came out. And even this one had at least a year long delay. For those new to the series, Break & Bossa is Idizioni-Ishtar (Schemas) franchise in the nu-bossa and breaks genre. Schema, a label out of Italy, features great acts like Gerardo Frisina, Nicola Conte, projects by founder Luciano Cantone, Mario Biondi, Rosalia De Souza, and many many other gifted artists. Schema has guided this series along very carefully, each release having an aura of class, and with each new Break & Bossa you get to experience the maturity of the label and the evolution of the artists and sounds.



How does vol 8 compare to it's predecessors? It does an excellent job. The format reverts back to that of volumes five and six, which were the only other two volume sets, one side being of regular stand-alone rare tracks and the second disc being a live session mixed by Luciano Cantone himself. Some of the highlights on disc one is the dramatic, great Mario Biondi with "No Mercy for Me", given a remix by Alessandro Magnanini. It's the type of song that sounds perfect for a James Bond film. Dalindeo's "Non Stop Flight" was also quite nice, gliding along. Nick Bernard's "Aromi" is a song reminiscent to the old Schema days of 2001-2002 or so. Great sound and guitar and feel with nice classy vocal instrumentations. "Kind of Latin Rhythm" from Juju Orchestra is a funky song that'll take you back to the last volume of the B&B series, along with Soulstance's earlier works (it's similar to "Mutantes"). Capping out a wonderful first disc set is Fragmentorchestra's "Carioca" - and of course no B&B is complete without a Nicola Conte contribution even if he hasn't put out a new album in a few years now. Here, he strips the track down and opens up with guitar and skat voices, building into a neat, jazzed up strangely smooth song.



And all of that is just disc one. Disc two is a sweet mix of cross-faded lounge tracks, done by the professional himself, Luciano Cantone. While S-Tone Inc.'s opening track wasn't one that grabbed me, Mario Biondi's "A Child Runs Free" does. Fantastic song and solos here, especially the piano for good measure. That's followed up by a strangely addictive "Que Bandeira" by Rosalia De Souza. Frisina's the one that takes this one to another level, utilizing her sweet voice and laying in a clubbed up bossa line in the background. It's the first in a hat-trick of Frisina worked cuts, followed up with his own "Inviolatin", and then he takes another label'mates gem, "Hangin On the Moon", and does that one up too.



I can't possibly mention all the tracks. But I can say that the rest of disc one is also pretty delightful, growing a little more intense as the album moves on. The evolution of the label's shifted back to the broken beats and heavy jazz influence... similar to the direction we saw them heading in back in 2002. It sits somewhere in-between the energy of volume 5-6. Not all the songs are 'bossa', but it's hard to pull out any that aren't quality. Like any Schema release, this album is also available in vinyl format. If you like this, I'd say you definitely want to get your hands on volume 6, and keep your eyes peeled for the 12" singles that a lot of these songs feature on, which tend to have even more takes. With this edition, it was well worth the wait and only shows that Schema's still in the practice of putting out quality over quantity by spreading out the years. Pick this one up!"

Disappointing; series-ender?

M. Durio | Opelousas, LA USA | 06/24/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The Break N' Bossa series sounds like it has run out of steam and material on this release of what was heretofore jaw-droppingly unusual, inspired neo-Brazilian music. This release's tunes are uniformly trite, boring and unmemorable. What a disappointment. Guess this one goes up for resale."