Great modern soul from Brazil – a tight little set that's got a similar vibe to some of the work that Marcos Valle and Leon Ware were doing together in the early 80s! The groove here is nice and jazzy – arranged by Lincoln Olivetti in a style that's funky, but laidback too – a warm post-disco approach that produces lots of upbeat tunes, but which state their case in a very classy way! Junior sings in Portuguese throughout, but with phrasing that almost makes for a universal sense of soul – and there's a sunny glow to the whole thing that really goes beyond the boundary of language. Titles include "Rio Sinal Verde", "Agre Doce", "Super Sensivel", "Hora H", "Via Aerea", "Pedras De Cristal", "Entrego A Deus", "Obvio", and "Copacabana Sadia". CD

This very hip series just got a whole lot hipper – thanks to the selection talents of Brazilian soul legend Ed Motta – who serves up a huge host of rare tracks from Brazil! Ed's always had a deep love of the AOR sound of the 70s – and he's not only a great soul singer on his own records, but also a hell of a record collector too – one whose knowledge of rare grooves goes way beyond most other folks we've ever met! This set opens up a huge amount of Brazilian soul we'd never heard before – music that takes off from the late 70s territory of Azimuth and Banda Black Rio, and soars with sweet jazzy grooves that are completely sublime – most from the 80s, and most by artists who've never gotten their due on the reissue market. Killer all the way through – with titles that include "Pra Voce" by Carlinhos & Soninha Querioz, "Acordes E Sementes" by Gelso Oliveira & Luiz Ewerling, "Joia Rara" by Brylho, "Rota Mar" by Zeca Do Trombone, "Clarear" by Roupa Nova, "Quero Pouco Quero Muito" by Filo Machado, "Guarde Minha Voz" by Sandra Sa, "Debora" by Altay Veloso, "Copacabana Suite" by Junior Mendes, "Renascendo En Mim"b y Don Beto, "Toda Manha Brilha O Sol" by Lucinha Turnbull, "Coisas Do Brasil" by Guilerhmes Arantes, "Mare" by Carlos Bivar, "Leao Ferido" by Biafra, "Mais Uma Chance" by Santa Cruz, "Rio Best Seller" by Cassiano, and "Se Eu Te Pego De Jeito" by Jane Duboc. LP, Vinyl record album