CéU "CéU" Six Degrees Records/Starbucks Entertainment
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
BRAZILIAN SINGER Maria do Céu Whitaker Pocas, who snagged a Latin Grammy nomination last year for best new artist, is a sultry lounge singer who performs under the stage name CéU. So it's fitting that her 2005 debut is being reissued by Starbucks: Her gentle, warm voice carries a simple sophistication enhanced by her subtle samba-influenced music.
CéU is more than just background music for sipping lattes, though, as she layers numerous sonic textures to create a rich blend of genres. The faint scratching of a turntable on "Lenda" complements her leisurely coo, and the repeating groove of synthesizer beats on "Veu Da Noite" evokes Portishead's mellow trip-hop. "Malemolencia" explores a soulful reggae sound, while her bluesy voice on "Valsa Pra Biu Roque" outshines the song's pronounced bandolim melody.
CéU sings in striking, expressive Portuguese except for one song, a cover of Bob Marley's "Concrete Jungle." Her tenderly swaying voice gives the track a casual breeziness, but with her breathy English, the song's underlying anguish seems to be lost in translation.
-- Catherine P. Lewis
Appearing Saturday at the National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium.
