Exquisite, Endless Beauty & Rhythm
RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 10/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Five Big Stars!! Simone Guimaraes' wonderfully kaleidoscopic "Casa de Oceano" is a scintillating CD with many surprises. Especially the exotic and captivating voice with which Ms. Guimaraes has been blessed. The first time I heard Simone on Milton Nascimento's "Pieta" CD singing "Beleza e Cancao", I hurried to turn up the sound to hear every aspect of that incredible voice. What an instrument !!
Beyond that, on this CD Simone Guimarães surrounds herself with an impressive variety of special guests: Milton Nascimento, himself; the legendary Maria Bethania; classic musician/song melodist Francis Hime;the Grammy-nominated Guinga; the superb ContinenTrio; the wonderous strings of Quarteto Maogani; and more. She uses them to capture the many aspects of the sea shore, the ocean, and all things aquatic in a breathtaking manner, over and over. Hats off to the amazingly talented Jaime Alem for his CD production and his wonderful musical support of this great artist. The CD is beautifully recorded with a very immediate presence and can be considered a masterpiece of beautiful music.
The 'piece d'resistance' has to be the magnificent classic song "Milagre Dos Peixes" (Miracle of the Fish), written by Milton Nascimento. Simone Guimarães was BORN to sing this incredible song!! It's known to many fans from Milton's colloboration of 25 years ago with jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter on the CD "Native Dancer". This version tops that version, not to mention the surprise when Milton's own voice rises out of Simone's sonic maelstrom in mid-performance and pushes the proceedings along in a wonderfully inter-twined solo/duet. It's magnificent in all respects and the ending will have you holding your breath. I just wish it was longer, but that's what is so tantilizing about it and that's what "repeat" buttons are for on CD players.
Simone's own "Agua Funda" (Deep Water), the lilting samba "Desavenca" (with Guinga), the bopping samba "Zomba" (with ContinenTrio and Kiko Continental's very hip piano solo), the poignant "Cancao Brasileira" (Simone will tear your heart out), and Jobim's incredible "Retrato Em Branco E Preto" (with Simone's 'trumpet' solo and her evocation of the memory of Elis Regina) are quite fantastic, among the other excellent songs on this CD.
This CD evokes what legend says it must have been like to listen to Simone Guimarães when she was mesmerizing her fans in the clubs around Santa Rosa de Viterbo in her early career: personal, immediate, and wonderful. Want to hear some beautiful MPB music sung in totally captivating Portuguese? This is the one. Magnifico, Simone!!! Five Big Stars!!"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1