Maria Rita carries the torch for Brazilian music

As eerily similar as Maria Rita’s voice is to her late mother’s, Elis Regina, Rita has also managed to find her own style, singing pop-flavored play lists with a jazzy feel, backed simply by piano, acoustic bass and drums. On her self-titled debut album, she connected with audiences by making hits out of the Rita Lee-penned “Pagu” and the blues-tinged “Nao Vale A Pena” (It’s Not Worth It), and earned two 2004 Latin Grammy Awards for Best New Vocalist and Best Brazilian Album.

On Segundo, her sophomore album, she covers O Rappa’s anti-conformist “Minha Alma” (My Soul), giving an acoustic feel to what was originally an electric, hip-hop-inflected tune. The amusing, up-tempo “Feliz” (Happy) allows the singer and her band to take themselves less seriously, while on “Conta Outra” (Tell Me Another Story), Rita seamlessly inserts funk elements into a straight samba song.

This is her first proper U.S. tour—previous appearances were delayed when she became a first-time mom—and fans have been eagerly awaiting Rita’s live performance since sampling her flavorful style on her live DVD.

What: Maria Rita concert
When: May 5
Where: Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl. (at 15th St.), 212-777-6800; New York
How Much: $ 23-37

posted by nscafuro @ 1:31 PM