**Angelique Kidjo at House of Blues, (312) 923-2000, June 15
There's something about Spring that has me thinking exotic thoughts. I want to eat spicy food, drink savory beverages, and wear colorfully printed shirts and pastel slacks. For this transformation, I will need the right soundtrack, and I think that recent releases by women from the international music community should do the trick.
Take The World of Lady A (Wiija/Beggars Group) by Anjali. Fans of Goldfrapp are sure to gobble up this delectable dish of retro lounge, girl group, surf, and movie music. Just imagine stuffing a wild bikini to the tune of 'Seven X Eight,' wrapping yourself in a slicker and stepping out of the mist of 'Rainy Day,' or playing a cat and mouse game to the strains of 'Asian Provocateur.' 'Hymn To The Sun' is as close to holy as pop music gets, while the Indian influences of 'Ain't No Friend,' 'Rani of Jhansi,' and 'Stinging Sitars X 9,' belie Anjali's heritage.
Hailing from Brazil, Cibelle, like Bebel Gilberto before her, demonstrates how easy it is to update the Brazilian sound on her self-titled Six Degrees debut. Bossa Nova was meant to buoyed by electronics beats and rhythms and melodies. As seductive as they are sunny, tracks such as 'Deixa,' 'Hate,' 'Luisas,' 'No Prego,' and 'Train,' suggest nude sunbathing and swiftly melting popsicles. Also consider fellow Brazilian singer Daude and her CD Neguinha Te Amo (Real World/Virgin) on which she traverses similar territory.
Cibelle and Daude don't have a monopoly on music without tan-lines. Caetano Veloso protégé and Brazilian vocalist Virginia Rodrigues emanates an abundance of warmth on Mares Profundos (Edge Music/ Deutsche Grammophon). Like Cibelle, Rodrigues presents another facet of the varied scope of Brazilian music. 'Canto De Pedra Preta,' 'Bocoche,' 'Labareda' (featuring Veloso), 'Canto De Ossanha,' 'Lipinha,' and 'Berimbau,' are songs worth your attention.
Putting a Chilean spin on things is acclaimed jazz vocalist Claudia Acuna with her new album Luna (Max Jazz). As Acuna has proven on previous releases she has a gift for melding her jazz vocals with her native tongue, for a sound that is equally familiar and foreign. Acuna is at her best on 'Historias,' 'Tu, Mi Delirio,' 'A Meditation On Two Chords,' 'Yo No Llevo La Razon,' 'Lilas,' and 'Carita De Luna.'
Also of a jazz nature is Neruda (Sunnyside) by Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza. After previously turning her attention to the poetry of the late Elizabeth Bishop, Souza, accompanied by Edward Simon on piano, performs a dozen of Pablo Neruda's poems she has set to music for a poetic musical experience.
On her self-titled Epic/Sony Discos debut album, Mexico-based 19-year-old Latin Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Natalia LaFourcade seems so much more creative and original than a bland and prefabricated American teen such as Hillary Duff. Sure there are familiar themes, such as crushes ('Te Quiero Dar') and the dreaded teenage wasteland ('Busca Un Problema'), but LaFourcade also exhibits a knack for Brazilian-influenced jazz pop ('El Destino') and full-fledged dance club energy ('Mango' and 'Noche Divina'). Also keep in mind the expanded reissue of Lila Downs's acclaimed 1999 album La Sandunga (Narada World).
After having success writing songs for other people (including the Vanessa Williams' hit 'The Way That You Love'), Abenaa, originally from West Africa, has finally gotten around to releasing her own album, Tuesday's Child (Nkunim). Currently a Brooklyn resident, the disc definitely reflects the urban setting, consisting of songs that echo the current contemporary soul landscape. Abenaa even climbs the 'Stairway To Heaven' on the hidden bonus track.
Clear across the musical universe, Enya's sister Moya Brennan, the long-time voice of Celtic new age pop group Clannad, continues her established tradition of ethereal vocals layered over soothing synth beats and organic orchestration on Two Horizons (Decca). While there is nothing as immediately memorable as anything we've heard from Enya, tunes such as 'Show Me,' 'Sailing Away,' and 'River,' did stand out for me.
Working with producers such as George Duke and Eric Kupper, German vocalist Ute (Schonherr) performs jazz-tinged pop songs, including 'Beauty And The Beast,' on her self-titled disc (Pulsar/Pyramid).
Finally, a little advance notice on the forthcoming Women Of Africa (Putumayo). Due to hit shelves in about a month, this various artists compilation includes tracks by Angelique Kidjo ('Bahia') and the band Tarika ('Retany'), two of the most recognizable names in the realm of female African performers. The collection also includes tunes performed by established artists such as Sibongile Khumalo ('Mayihlome') and Dorothy Masuka ('Mfan' Omncane'), as well as up-and-coming younger women including Judith Sephuma ('Le Tsephile Mang') and Souad Massi ('Raoui').
