Since the late Suba made his mark in Brazilian music with his anthological
2000 album São Paulo Confessions, electronic and
experimental music found its niche in Brazil. Suba's untimely death
in 1999 left a void,
but his legacy went on with Bebel Gilberto, Suba
Tributo and
now Cibelle's debut album.
With influences as diverse as Nina Simone, Tom Jobim, Jackson do
Pandeiro and Bjork, Cibelle is a promising new star. Her album is
very eclectic, and that can come as an advantage or not. 
Some
listeners will likely enjoy the diverse repertoire and styles, while
others
might feel that Cibelle is searching for her own space in Brazilian
music. Out of the 11 tracks in the album, Cibelle wrote nine of
them, often comfortably singing in Portuguese and
English. Her voice is sometimes uncannily similar to Bebel Gilberto's,
as in the
Jobim-influenced
"Luísas,"
or Adriana
Calcanhotto's,
as
in the nice "Só Sei Viver no Samba." Nevertheless,
those similarities do not prevent you from enjoying the bossa balance
of "Luísa,"
with Trio Mocotó's João Parahyba on timba and lyrics
drawing from the
beauties of Rio de Janeiro and Jobim's song titles (e.g., "Dindi"
and "Lígia"). Parahyba comes back again in two
other tracks. Cibelle's admiration for Jobim is again featured
in her duet with bossa nova
icon Johnny
Alf,
who
also
plays
Rhodes
on
"Inútil Paisagem." The post-bossa nova, soft arrangement is innovative,
particularly with Robinho's bass accompaniment and an array of
electronic effects in the background. The arrangement captures the
feeling of
Rio's nightclubs and ocean waves beautifully. Cibelle's voice and
performance are excellent here. The album closes with the bluesy
"Pequenos Olhos" with its touching lyrics. The track clocks
at over nine minutes in length. However, after five minutes, there
is absolute
silence for almost three minutes. Then you hear this playful piano
playing fading in and a Billie Holiday-esque voice singing. It's
cute, though a bit odd and dissonant from the whole album.
