Maria Rita

an acclaimed new singer from Brazil who is the
daughter of the legendary vocalist Elis Regina

Brazilian Music

Samba Meu
(2007)

Wonderful performances by Maria Rita (Mariano), Brazil's brilliant, multi-Grammy-winning young diva on "Samba Meu" (Samba Mine). She generally avoided straight-forward sambas on her award-winning eponymous debut CD, "Maria Rita", and on the "Segundo" CD in order to establish her MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) musical identity. Now on her 3rd CD, she delivers what many have waited for: the CD focused on the samba. And she delivers many types of sambas from 'samba-canção' to thundering 'samba-school' batacudas in a virtuoso display of this great Brazilian musical form, punctuated throughout by the unique sound of the 'cuica'. The 'Best of the Best' include great performances of "Samba Meu", a blazing song about "Maria do Socorro", "Cria" (Son) dedicated to her boy who makes a hilarious appearance at the beginning, a vowel-popping "Casa de Noca" (House of Commotion), the dazzling "Num Corpo Só" (In Only One Body) and "Corpictho" ('Fine' Body) where she eerily sounds like her mom, the late great super-diva Elis Regina. "Tá Perdoado" (You're Forgiven) is high on the 'Brazilian Hot 100' charts, and the breathtaking "Mente Ao Meu Coracao" (He Lies To My Heart) is further proof that Maria Rita has the full genetic DNA vocal inheritance of her legendary mother and the musical sensibilities of her pianist/arranger father, Cesar Camargo Mariano. --an Amazon reviewer