A wonderful album from the lovely Joyce – one of her best of recent years! The record features Joyce working with bossa maestro Joao Donato – who plays acoustic and electric piano, sings, and helps Joyce with some of the arrangements – and the overall style of the album is very much in the vein of some of his most beautiful work. The set was with contributions from Brazilian jazz players like Paulo Moura, Gilson Peranzzetta, and Tutty Moreno – and Joyce is in fantastic form, singing and playing acoustic guitar with all the soulful passion of her best early recordings. The production is great, too – and the album has a rawer edge than some of Joyce's other work from the 90s – nicely stripped-down, with a rasp in both her vocals and the work of the other jazz players. Titles include "Bananeira", "Anos 30", "Drume Negrita", "Tudo Bonito", "Gala Tanta", "Falta De Ar", "Adolescensia", and "So Tinha De Ser Com Voce". CD

One of the last great records ever made by Sarah Vaughan – a really solid session of Brazilian tunes, one that's produced by Sergio Mendes, arranged by Dori Caymmi, and which features guest vocals by Milton Nascimento! The general approach is west coast mellow – as the group features Alphonson Johnson, George Duke, Hubert Laws, Tom Scott, and Ernie Watts – and most of the tunes are English translations of older Brazilian tracks from the 60s and 70s, done by Sarah in an easy, jazzy tone. Titles include "Love & Passion", "Your Smile", "Obsession", "Make This City Ours Tonight", "Nothing Will Be As It Was", and "Photograph". (Vocalists, Brazil) CD

An excellent debut from Rio-raised, London-based Raf Vilar on Far Out – breezy, airy melodies and light arrangements with enough classic bossa craft to stand the test of time! Raf is the nephew of the legendary Ivan Conti, so it's safe to say that he's got this stuff in his blood, but fear not any possible nepotism getting him a record deal. We were spinning this album again and again, digging every second before we even read a brief bio. Trust us, it's the real deal! The arrangements are mostly laidback, but filled with unfakeable love and passion for easygoing bossa, with some of the best tracks featuring just Raf's vocals and a guitar – but the more arranged numbers with piano, bass, sax and additional percussion are great, too. Includes "Por Um Amor Qualquer", "Bossa Me", "Sem Ter Voce", "Le Com Cre", "So No Ar", "Amargo Amor", "Silidao", "Lullaby" and more. CD

A great take on the sweet style of the lovely Lisa Ono – a record that combines two great musical passions of the Japanese scene – bossa nova and Hawaiian grooves! And although Lisa's recording in a vaguely Hawaiian mode, the style's nicely different too – mixing her usual bossa approach with a slightly sunshine-drenched style, less Hawaiian than work by Don Ho, more in a "dream" vision of Hawaii, as you might hear in some of the 60s production work by Brian Wilson. The floating lyrics of the Hawaiian tunes work well with the bossa backing – and the sweetness of the album's a perfect fit for Lisa's voice! Titles include "Manoa", "Swing Time In Honolulu", "Sway It, Hula Girl", "Nani Wai'ale'ale", and "Kaimana Hila". LP, Vinyl record album