The Best of Rosa Passos

Amazon.com
With a distinctive voice so airy and gentle that a whisper seems like a clap of thunder in comparison, Rosa Passos epitomizes Brazilian bossa nova and samba. Her multidecade career gets the retrospective it deserves in this newly remastered collection of some of her most influential performances, including Passos's marvelous collaboration with the songwriter Chico Buarque on the sardonic love song "Com Acucar, com Afeto." The second duet on this disc pairs Passos with co-composer Ivan Lins on "Abajur Lilas," which also showcases Marco Brita's evocative piano, the crooning soprano sax of Sergio Galvao, and jazzy musical direction by Lula Galvao. The accordion-sweetened "Juras" shows off Passos's talent as an arranger with a special touch for combining almost palpable textures. Famous in her country since her 1972 debut, Passos remained one of Brazil's best-kept secrets until the international success of 1991's recently rereleased Curare, an homage to the rich heritage of Brazilian music. --Bob Tarte

Tracks:

Aquarela Do Brazil
Aguas De Marco
De Flor Em Flor
Zanga Zangada
E Luxo So
Curare
Feitico Da Vila
Com Acucar, Com Afeto
Caminhos Cruzados
Valera A Pena
Juras
Chovendo Na Roseira
Amor Em Paz
Abajur Lilas

Amazon.com

With a distinctive voice so airy and gentle that a whisper seems like a clap of thunder in comparison, Rosa Passos epitomizes Brazilian bossa nova and samba. Her multidecade career gets the retrospective it deserves in this newly remastered collection of some of her most influential performances, including Passos's marvelous collaboration with the songwriter Chico Buarque on the sardonic love song "Com Acucar, com Afeto." The second duet on this disc pairs Passos with co-composer Ivan Lins on "Abajur Lilas," which also showcases Marco Brita's evocative piano, the crooning soprano sax of Sergio Galvao, and jazzy musical direction by Lula Galvao. The accordion-sweetened "Juras" shows off Passos's talent as an arranger with a special touch for combining almost palpable textures. Famous in her country since her 1972 debut, Passos remained one of Brazil's best-kept secrets until the international success of 1991's recently rereleased Curare, an homage to the rich heritage of Brazilian music. --Bob Tarte

Customer Reviews:

sweet and gentle like a warm Amazon rain...........2004-10-27

If you haven't heard of Rosa Passos before, I highly reccomend this album as a great introduction to a wonderful and very popular Brazilian vocalist (with good reason, too!). She glides through the popular songs from Brazilian repertoire with grace and expression. I can't really compare Ms. Passos to any singer (Latin American or otherwise) that I have listened to in the past. I find this greatest album to be so relaxing and is a great escape from the stress of day-to-day life. You don't have to understand Portuguese to enjoy the soulful melodies that are filled with tender melodies and delicate, soft, whispered crooning from Rosa.

Not only does Rosa shine on the light samba/ballads she presents to us, the audience ("Aquarela do Brasil," "Aguas de Marco," etc.) but she also is well-accompanied in her duets with two other well-known popular Brazilian singers, Chico Buarque and Ivan Lins. Rosa's vocals glide over her self-accompanied guitar and the other instruments that carry on a dialogue of rhythm and melody.

O Melhor De Rosa Passos!.......2004-05-27

Fantastic singer, now my favorite from Brazil, and this is a superb collection of some of her best. A tip: another CD with the same track listing as this one is "O Melhor De Rosa Passos". You may have better luck finding a copy of that one.

A Rose.......2004-04-19

Incredible. This woman can break your heart with her whisper. Never as showy as Marisa Monte, never as dramatic as Maria Bethania, she still does it - effortlessly, naturally. To be beautiful, a rose does not have to make efforts - she IS beautiful. And so is Rosa's voice - it has all the sweetness of a hummingbird's singing, all the joy of a morning breeze in the leaves, and all the melancholy of the sea. And that is why for me her voice is the best voice of Brazil. Eu Te Amo Rosa.

I love this album!!!.......2003-08-31

I wont say much in this review...but just listen to her version of "É Luxo Só" and you'll immediately fall in love with this artist's voice and style!

This is a great album to get to know some of her best work!!! Don't hesitate!

Brilliant, idiosyncratic singer........2002-06-07

All the reviews here keep saying that Passos' voice is breathy or gentle, which to my mind is equating her with jazz singers like Blossom Dearie. No way! Her voice is extremely girlish-sounding, but she is one of the most innovative singers I've ever heard -- she completely deconstructs songs and makes them her own, but they're still quite recognizable. This is wondrously apparent on her take on the old Carmen Miranda chestnut "Brazil" and the somewhat newer Jobim chestnut "Aguas de Marzo [Waters of March]." She changes tempo suddenly, her phrasing is unexpected, and yet she always comes back to the melody. Her version of Djavan's "De Flor Em Flor" starts out like a murmured conversation, and then suddenly her voice takes flight in the chorus, soaring joyously. Breathtaking. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find this utter master of the bossa nova style.

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