Woman at the end of the world
A mulher do fim do mundo

"Though Elza Soares' name may not be a familiar name (...), the singer - whose career spans seven decades - is beloved in Brazil, particularly among women, the poor, minorities, and the LGBT community ... After 38 previous albums, this set is her first of new original material ... The Woman at the End of the World is a jarring, brash, soulful, deeply moving recording. Soares delivers unflinching, jagged 21st century samba songs that detail a Brazilian life not seen by tourists. Their themes are about slavery, survival against all odds, unquenchable desire, racism, violence against women, gay, and transgender people, prostitution, loss and loneliness, and rage. There is so much happening musically it is dizzying initially, almost impossible to contain ... Soares goes into her belly to deliver these lyrics (English translations are provided). She is passionate and commands the full measure of her grainy but disciplined contralto. The Woman at the End of the World is Soares'howlof pain, witness, and resistance that refuses all apologies and compromises. It's so nakedly emotional and powerful, it is ultimately an anthem".

Read review

"Elza Soares has been one of Brazil's most controversial samba singers ever since her career began in the late 1950s, always following her own path and building an eclectic oeuvre in the process. Her latest is potentially her boldest release to date. Joining forces with a group of musicians and songwriters who've forged an exciting new samba scene in São Paulo - including members of Metá Metá, as well as Bixiga 70's brass section - Soares has directed her years of experience into a fiery mix of original, uncompromising tracks".

"The kind of record few artists ever make, much less iconic figures who could be reasonably expected to live out their remaining years resting comfortably on their laurels. The album is part autobiography, part reinvention, and all provocation, channeling both her life's pain and her incredible resilience into an alloy that is by turns jagged and molten. Written by and recorded with a group of young experimental musicians from São Paulo's "samba sujo" (or "dirty samba") scene (...), it is a searing, surging work of fusion that combines Afro-Brazilian styles with wiry, dissonant strands of punk and noise-rock, where the Ex mingles freely with Tom Zé. This is not morbid music; it is full of life, of spit and grit ... The combination of sounds and textures is nothing short of astonishing: the hardscrabble guitar-and-drum interplay; the horns, betraying the faintest hint of two-tone ska; and above all, her impossibly malleable voice, like a scrap of sandpaper turning into atsunami.I don't know of any other records that sound quite like this one: by turns wiry, warm, playful, and elegiac, it evokes twisting vines and cracked cement, with guitars that snake like the pichação graffiti of São Paulo and Rio".

Read review

"Born in a tough Rio favela, [Soares] was hailed as one of the city's greatest samba queens in the 1950s, then fell from fashion before returning as a Brazilian icon. And she has continually updated her music. Taking note that the experimental music scene is now based in São Paulo, she recorded this remarkable new set with a band that includes Kiko Dinucci of Metá Metá and members of Afrobeat-influenced Bixiga 70. They mix samba with distorted rock and jazz influences on songs that deal with subjects including domestic violence and the death of a crack-addicted transvestite. Soares's husky, crooned vocals dominate throughout. Surely the Brazilian album of the year".

Read review

"I dag er Elza Soares 80 år og noget nær det tætteste, man kommer en kongelig i Brasilien. I hjemlandet kalder de hende bare Dronningen. Hendes seneste album er elektronisk samba med uro i basdybet, skæbnesvangre strygere og en stemme, der bærer sine erfaringer og mange år som smuk patina. Det er dirty samba med sine rå kanter og urolige turbinestøj".

Read review

"Top of the world" - "With his soulful voice, Cameroonian author and singer-songwriter Blick Bass y delivers a luminous and reflective album of 11 songs. Using the local Bassa language, he evokes his country's recent history and its courageous fight for independence. Bassy invites us to remember historical events and the leading heroes of this time, including Ruben Um Nyobé, who was executed in 1958 ... There are no drums or percussion on the album at all. Instead, pulsating assiko, bolobo or hongo rhythms are played on melodic instruments: Bassy's guitar and banjo, Clément Petit's cello, Johan Blanc's trombone and Alexis Anérilles' trumpet and keyboards. The overall production is refined and serves hauntingly beautiful melodies. 1958 is crafted with peaceful delicacy".