Marisa Monte - O Que Você Quer Saber de Verdade Review

Marisa Monte has always been a heavy hitter in Brazilian music, both in Brazil itself and around the world. For more than two decades, she has managed to keep herself on everyone’s hearts and minds while morphing from pop star to alt.folk artist to big hitmaker (her 2002 Tribalistas project with Arnaldo Antunes and Carlinhos Brown sold more than 2 million copies worldwide) and back again.


She hasn’t been heard from since 2006, when she released Universo ao Meu Redor and Infinito Particular, a twin set of lovely but airless records that didn’t fly quite as high as Tribalistas. This new set is a solo record, but she has gone back to work with Antunes and Brown, both of whom co-write material with her here but are not really part of the performing ensemble. (Okay, Antunes does his croaking semi-singing thing a couple times on the forró song “Hoje Eu Não Saio Não”, but that’s it.) It seems a particularly conservative move by Monte.


But damn, it pays off. Her artistic vision remains as gritty and vital as ever, but somehow her melodies have gotten even more beautiful; “Amar Alguém” and the title track stick in the head more than anything from the last two records, and the stunning “Ainda Bem” just absolutely floats. Her opera-trained but street-sharpened voice has lost none of its clarity and sweetness.


Yet what sets this album apart is its texture, its feel. The second track, a snaky remake of Jorge Ben Jor’s “Descalço no Parque”, adds new sounds every four bars, from subtle percussion to whispery synths from P-Funk legend Bernie Worrell (an old friend and collaborator) to romantic strings. It almost doesn’t seem to exist when it’s playing, but the interplay of all these elements—and Domenico Lancellotti’s lovely propulsive drumming—stays in the memory for days....full text O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade is the latest album produced by the popular Brazilian singer Marisa Monte. This work, which was released in Brazil in October of 2011, reached the top of the charts in that country soon after its release. The album made its US debut on March 2012. The following is an overview of the concept and music behind O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade.

Although O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade is a collection of songs that Marisa Monte wrote during the last four years, she was only able to consolidate this album in a moment of silence when she was away from the hectic schedule that an artist like her usually has.

Marisa Monte produced some of the songs while she was recording the album. Other tracks included in this work were previously recorded by other artists like her old friends from Tribalistas Arnaldo Antunes ("O Que Você Quer Saber De Verdade") and Carlinhos Brown ("Verdade, Uma Ilusão").

In fact, the title of this album bears the name of the song recorded by Arnaldo Antunes. Marisa Monte chose that title because it expresses the silence that is needed in order to listen to the voice of your soul. Overall, O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade is an album defined by the always inspiring topic of love.

An important ingredient in the making of this CD was the musical collaboration that Marisa Monte forged with Rodrigo Amarante for the past years. You can hear Rodrigo Amarante in the single "O Que Se Quer," one of the best songs in the entire album....full text Titled ’O Que Voce Quer Saber De Verdade’ (‘What You Really Want To Know’), the album will be the critically acclaimed Singer/Songwriter’s first offering in six years. 2006 saw Monte’s last release in the form of twin albums ‘Universo Ao Meu Redor’, a collection of samba classics, and ‘Infinto Particular’, a collection of contemporary spanish influenced records.

Due for release March 27, 2012 on Blue Note, the album will feature songs written by Monte alongside tracks penned by her long-time musical partners Arnaldo Antunes, Carlinhos Brown and Dadi.

The album will also feature Oscar-winning multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Santaolalla, the Brazilian trio Nação Zumbi, Argentinean tango group Café de los Maestros, a duet with Rodrigo Amarante of the Brazilian-American group Little Joy, and a string ensemble performing arrangements by the American maestros Greg Cohen and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.

Reflecting 3-time Latin Grammy award winning Monte’s international influences, the album was recorded in a number of different locations, including Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, and New York....full text