Search - Helena :: Azul

Terrific CD - a MUST have

bordersj2 | Boston | 12/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Outstanding, melancholic, soothing release here. And I must say that if you're a Bebel Gilberto fan, I'm pretty sure you'll want to get your hands on this. Likewise, if you're into Thievery Corporation's Eighteenth Street Lounge - and dig Isabela Antenna's vocals, this is for you. Helena is perhaps most popular in France or Japan - her full name is Helena Noguerra and before this, the most popular song she released was "Bikini". The vocals on this cd are amazing. She's so smooth, and she never takes her voice far out of range. You don't have shreiking or attempts to stray out of range, Helena just lets the music come to her - her style is soft and the accompaniment is true to this "genre". But - this is a rarity because I can put this on in the background and literally play the cd through to the end. Even the more upbeat tracks - like "M'en aller" and "Vem Aqui" never take away from the general feel of the cd. Fans may have heard her tracks if they collected Nueva Bossa Nova or Brazilectro 4 or Paris Lounge 2. Those comps. had a remix of Morrer Nos Seus Bracos and Paris Lounge had a remix of M'en Aller. While I for one honestly enjoyed the remix more than the original here on this cd (of Morrer Nos Seus Bracos), the remix isn't so so far off from the original - and the original you can tell blends more into the feature cd. Be warned though - this CD may not be for everyone. It definitely has a trippy, chillout feel - not what you want to put in if you're trying to "snap out of it" and get pumped up. But to me, put it in the car on the way into the cd for a romantic feel - it's perfect. This is offered as an Import too on Amazon however the import is twice as expensive."