– THE QUIET RIOT –

Multiple GRAMMY-winning samba sorceress, Eliane Elias returns with an orchestral offering that manages to convey debility and despair with a lightness of touch and a levity of tone that only the Brazilians are capable of.

The singer/pianist started composing her upcoming album Love Stories from her bed after being rendered virtually immobile by a fractured shoulder, mere months before the passing of her father.

“As she recuperated,” her Press Release reveals “her window view of breeze-tickled palm trees and balconies against the blue Sao Paulo sky became the backdrop for a new set of musical inspiration.”

The resulting album contains three original compositions plus seven covers; most of which are new takes on bossa nova classics, including songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

However, it is Patti Austin and James Ingram’s 80s pop jam Baby, Come to Me that has been selected as the first single.

Needless to say, Elias adds her own inimitable stamp on the track, moving smoothly from a bossa nova to a hybrid Latin feel, with harmonic and tempo shifts that would be surprising if they weren’t so seamless.

Her backing band of compatriots make a demanding execution seem effortless. And, on this track in particular, Mark Kibble (Take 6)’s backing vocals add a Jobim-esque depth and gravity.

It makes for a rich tapestry of a track whose depths dare not dim its brilliant light.

Love Stories will be released on 30 August on Concord Jazz.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

TAYLOR McFERRIN: NOW THAT YOU NEED ME
YAZZ AHMED: SHOAL OF SOULS
LUCINDA CHUA: FEEL SOMETHING
NICK WALTERS & PARADOX ENSEMBLE: 34268

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –