Brazil305

by Gloria Estefan

Overview

Gloria Estefan has not released an album since 2013's Standards. In the interim, the world of Latin pop music has exploded in popularity (again). It's not uncommon to see Latin artists topping terrestrial and streaming charts and breaking YouTube viewing records. Estefan pioneered the first Latin pop explosion, paving the way for artists like Ricky Martin, Draco Rosa, and Shakira. Her best records radically fused pop, R&B, salsa, and Latin funk. Brazil305 reminds listeners that, five decades into her celebrated career, Estefan remains both a virtuoso and visionary. Years ago, she felt the African continent's connective tissue joining Cuban and Brazilian musics in her bones. She imparts that link to fans here via re-envisioned and re-recorded versions of 14 catalog hits and four new tunes, played by an enormous international cast in studios from Brazil to Greece to both North American coasts. "Samba," is an aural manifesto; a new version of "Conga," its burning salsa meets the samba's complex polyrhythms via an army of caixa drummers, cavaquinho, whistles, and killer horn charts by Laercio da Costa and Anselmo Lima E Azeitona. New song "Un Nuevo Mundo" is a Spanish adaptation of Brazilian composer Gonzaguinha's "O Homem Falou." (There's also an Anglo-language version included.) Estefan recontextualizes the carnival anthem with a danzon orchestra and percussion army. Single "Cuando Hay Amor," written by Emilio Estefan, weds batucada, samba, and cha-cha, while "Tuy Y Yo" (We Are Here) is a bolero filtered through the sensuality of Brazilian jazz. Gian Marco Zignago's "Hoy" is a perfect fusion of Afro-Brazilian percussion and Afro-Cuban guaguanco. Set in the middle of the record are two Estefan classics: "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" is a scorching salsa jam retranslated through the seamless interplay between the percussionists, a nasty funk bass line, and maestro Luis Bonilla's dark, imposing trombone. The new take of "Mi Tierra" remains a son montuno dancefloor killer, but it's lusher, and arguably more danceable, as cavaquinhos, cuicas, jazzy strings, and truckloads of Afro-Brazilian percussion pulse through hard-swinging horns. "Hasta Siempre," always a steamy bolero, is rendered no less so here, as the Macedonian Symphony Strings create a pillowy backdrop for Azymuth drummer Luis "Mamao" Conte to conjure his percussive magic. "Get on Your Feet" retains its dance-pop hook, as layered horns, staggered cuicas, and repiniques frame Estefan's resonant singing. Closer "Magalenha" is an oft-remixed dance hit composed by Carlinhos Brown (Tribalistas). He duets with Estefan on the set's most joyous track. Driving samba and carnival rhythms meet brazenly funky horns amid call-and-response vocals and chants to carry the rhythms onto the streets. Estefan has outdone herself on Brazil305: By re-recording her hits, she illustrates the Brazil/Cuba/Africa argument, while welcoming fans along for the ride. She bridges these cultures in an inspiring, polished program that explores new sounds and contexts, while reasserting the eminently translatable appeal and transcendent power of her own music. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2020
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0889853831128
Rank:	94230

Tracks

1. Samba
2. Un Nuevo Mundo [Spanish Adaptation of "O Homem Falou"]
3. Cuts Both Ways
4. Cuando Hay Amor
5. Con los A¿¿os Que Me Quedan
6. Tu y Yo (Here We Are)
7. Hoy
8. Ayer
9. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
10. Mi Tierra
11. Don't Wanna Lose You
12. Hasta Siempre
13. Mas All¿¿
14. Abriendo Puertas
15. Get on Your Feet
16. Here We Are
17. Only Together [English Adaptation of "O Homem Falou"]
18. Magalenha

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gloria Estefan   Primary Artist
Carlinhos Brown   Featured Artist,Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Laercio Da Costa   Horn Arrangements
Amber Urena   A&R
Isaias Elpes   Arranger
Javier Conde Alonso   Programming
Alejandro Reglero   A&R
Heather Beltran   Art Direction,Photography,Design
Andrea Lopez   Composer
Bruno Baptista   A&R
Pablo Flores   Remixing,Engineer
Estefano Salgado   Composer
Nicolas Tovar   Composer
Anselmo Lima   Horn Arrangements
Kike Santander   Composer
Clay Ostwald   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Emilio Estefan, Jr.   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Carlinhos Brown   Composer,Producer
Jose Maldonado   Product Manager
Juanito Marquez   Composer
Mauricio Guerrero   Mixing,Arranger
Juan Arreguin   Mixing
Gian Marco   Composer
Gloria Estefan   Mixing,Composer,Adaptation
Danny Ponce   Mixing
John DeFaria   Composer
Jorge Casas   Composer
Gonzaguinha   Composer
Javier Concepcion   Programming
Enrique Garcia   Composer,Lyricist
Azeitona   Horn Arrangements