Various Artists - Red, Hot + Rio 2

Red Hot + Rio 2 - Successor to the '96 Bossa Nova compilation from the Red Hot HIV/AIDS charity again combines well known Brazilian performers with American musicians, this time for an exceptional look into Tropicalia -- a late 60's style that combined jazz, psychedelica, folk and blues with traditional Brazilian music...Beck, Bebel Gilberto, Alice Smith (pictured above), Beirut, John Legend, Of Montreal, David Byrne, Marisa Monte, Aloe Blacc, Mia Doi Todd and Jose Gonzalez are among the notable list of collaborators // Release: Red Hot + Rio (June 28, E1 Music) // Sounds like: a fascinating primer on Tropicalia -- and one that keeps the music surprisingly authentic even as the various stylistic references from the guests seep into the mix // Quote: "The Tropicalia movement was such an enormous burst of creativity...The chords and melodies are often far more complicated and nuanced than in music from the US, and the singers really sing, using their voices softly, fully and experimentally with a wide vocal range and lots of feeling." - Mia Doi Todd // What we like: Beirut's jubilant cover of the Caetano Veloso song "O Leãozinho"...the lovely "Acabou Chorare" from Bebel Gilberto..."Baby", the sunny, impossibly rhythmic track from NY's eclectic soul songstress Alice Smith and Aloe Blacc...

Alice Smith & Aloe Blacc - "Baby" (from Red Hot + Rio 2)

Bebel Gilberto - "Acabou Chorare" (from Red Hot + Rio 2)