Brazilian Girls New York City CD

Brazilian Girls: Sabina Sciubba (vocals); Didi Gutman (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Aaron Johnston (drums, background vocals).
Programmer: Didi Gutman.
On their third full-length, Brazilian Girls continue to refine the breezy, sexy vibe and eclectic fusion of styles that made their first two albums so enjoyable. The group recorded NEW YORK CITY as a trio (the bassist took a leave of absence) but their sound is as full as ever. There's lush lounge, burbling Tropicalia, campy cabaret, driving Afropop, and thumping house music among the various colors and textures (not to mention multiple languages). The lead off single "Good Time" is a sunny, bouncing romp that mixes new wave and electronica into a perfect singalong pop package. Then there's the equally energetic glam-disco dance-floor filler, "Losing Myself." But Brazilian Girls aren't only about bright, uptempo grooves. The Kurt Weill-inspired "Berlin," the dark, spooky "Strangeboy," and the pulsing "Internacional," which features vocals from Afropop icon Baaba Maal, make the funhouse ride of NEW YORK CITY even more strange and memorable. As wide-ranging and arty as they are totally listenable, Brazilian Girls prove again what it is to make deliciously well-blended music for our current global village.
On their third album, the ever eclectic Brazilian Girls return to the joyful bohemian groove magic of their debut. Most importantly, they once again make it sound effortless and play their downtown worldbeat loose rather than lazy, making their loft music more welcoming than it was on Talk to La Bomb, the too clever sophomore effort that suffered from a slight case of entitlement. Here, the meticulously arranged opener, "St. Petersburg," announces that the Girls are out to earn their accolades this time as soundtrack music, tribal beats, and shuffling jazz all pass under Sabina Sciubba's intoxicating vocals. When she offers "Here is your anthem/Now go to hell," it's plain to see that the playfulness and cool flippancy are back, too, something that makes the singalong highlight "Ricardo" such a good-time single, perfect for chic summery weekends. "Internacional" is "Peter Gunn Theme" versus any given Serge Gainsbourg song, and when tubas meet Sciubba's tongue-rolling pronouncement of "Berlin," the track of the same name becomes something like a new wave revival of the musical Cabaret. Rounding out this unclassifiable effort are peaceful moments like "L'Interprete" and electronica-aware pop songs like "I Want Out," plus plenty of Astrud Gilberto-inspired numbers that explain why this group of non-Brazilian musicians gets to use the "B" word. With Brazilian Girls' sense of wonder and love of musical globe-trotting as strong as ever, New York City is a welcome return to form for this very special group. ~ David JeffriesSpin (p.112) - "[T]hese increasingly experimental Girls remain an appealingly peculiar party band."
Blender (Magazine) (p.76) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "NEW YORK CITY is a lounge-y pileup of bossa rhythms and Old World romantic ache, girded by slithery push-button funk throb -- at once refined and happily trashy."