Virginía Rodrigues, Nós (Hannibal) 9+
Until 1994, Virginia Rodrigues was a seamstress and unknown singer in Salvador, Brazil, until one night a religious performance of the Latin dirge "Veronica" (included on her 1997 debut Sol Negro) moved Caetano Veloso to tears. Widely considered the most impressive vocalist in Brazil, her singing is more operatically powerful than sexy, and the music on Nós is accordingly more sober and stately. Not that this is a stiff, churchy affair. After all, these are reinterpretations of songs written for the frenzied competitions of the famous Brazillian Carnaval by the Olodum, Ile and Aye samba schools. Some of the arrangements are genuinely punchy, such as the strutting bossa nova of "Afrekêtê," the sunny, even downright poppy "Ojú Obá" and the African drum-and-chorus dance of "Male Debale." But the overall mood is more in tune with "Uma Historia de Ifa," which evokes wonder more than movement, with its sensual acoustic guitars and chamber strings. Her inimitably mesmerizing alto may be an acquired taste for some, but her uncompromising persistence in pursuing her own vision will pay off in the long run, for there is no one in the world remotely like Virginia Rodrigues.
