"I gave this cd three stars because it is more of a "Best Of" for the "Break N Bossa" series and I would have to recommend getting the regular "Break N Bossa" series instead of this one. I actually bought this on accident, thinking it was the first for some reason until I looked closer and saw that all of the tracks were on one of the four other BNB releases. This particular Break N Bossa you see is actually a specialty edition geared for the US market. That said, it's pretty solid but I'm a little confused from Schema. You get an introduction to a lot of the different Schema artists like Soulstance, Nicola Conte, etc. The genre is more along the lines of "Bossa Italia", or 60's feel, martini sort of music with a Brazilian flavor. However the particular tracks on this album I think are a bit suspect - and I would certainly recommend looking into the real Break N Bossa compilations instead of this one, as the individual comps have better songs IMO. You have some extremely hard to find tracks, particularly on the latest Vol 4 of the seriesl, which features Montefiori Cocktail, Fauna Flash, S-Tone Inc. and etc.For the record, this label, Schema, did this with Soulstance. Truth, Simplicity and Love is the same sort of deal as this album is, a "Best OF" sort of thing. And likewise, I recommend getting the second Soulstance CD as well. It's great!"
Give Bossa A Break
HungryJack | West Coast | 08/29/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'm glad that folks here in the US are catching the new bossa wave! Break 'n Bossa! - The American Chapter is a great primer containing tracks from Gerardo Frisina, Soulstance and other great new bossa artists coming mostly out of Italy. If you like this comp, then you will be dying to check out the four volumes of Schema Records Break 'n Bossa series that started it all. After that I highly recommend Gerardo Frisina's AD LIB -- also on Schema, which seems to be the label to love if you like bossa!"
All around quality
Katherine M Dickerson | Bethesda, Md United States | 02/25/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of my favorites. I never get sick of any of these songs. I have some other similar albums like jassanova and om lounge but this one is my treasure! very urban atmosophere to it and even a little sexy!"
Not groundbreaking, but a near spotless sampler
Richard Diaz | 09/13/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Arriving a bit late to the dinner party, Break N Bossa marks one more entry to the seemingly growing interest in modern lite-dance lounge, a heady mixture with roots in bossa nova, Brazilian rhythms, jazz, and house, plus a dash of kitsch. Leading strong, Miyazawa and Rainer Truby Trio deliver with percolating, polyrhythmic "Anjos Ilmaos", followed by the ubiquitous chic cooing of "Bossa Per due" from Nicola Conte. Rainer Truby Trio ace again on Brasilia-beat sensation "Galicia", while Artless's firestorm jam, "The Chaser" spins out the set. This quality in sound is mildly offset by safe execution; nearly every track culls from the superb Compost or Schema rosters, a no-brainer decision that leaves few surprises for genre fans to discover. Saying that, there's no denying the goodies within, as all but two pieces get high marks (Soulstance's gurgling, skat vocal "Circle" a notable downside). Not groundbreaking, but as a low-risk sampler nearly spotless, and an ideal way to grasp a who's who on the scene."