Rating: NNN
Putting together a collection of new-school Brazilian music without including a track from either Bebel Gilberto or her producer, Suba, or even mentioning them in the extensive liner notes is baffling. Even so, Putumayo’s Samba Bossa Nova set is a pleasant enough listen. There isn’t a lot of deep digging here: softly shuffling cuts from Moreno Veloso, Da Lata, Paulinho Moska and Rita Ribeiro are all excellent if fairly obvious choices. Unfortunately, the label’s restrictive feel-good mantra means that anything that isn’t built around an acoustic guitar, or anything that might push Brazilian music into house, funk or harder jazz, is ignored. It’s a good start, but little more.
