Cascadura Samba is Micheline Cardoso‘s fourth album coming out on the Afro:Baile label. As with any music that takes an old tradition with the hopes of giving it a contemporary feel there is a lot of room for error. Micheline however seems to avoid all the usual pitfalls and has released an album that draws on her samba roots whilst staying fresh and modern.

What’s more it feels so effortless that it’s a joy to listen to. You get the feeling Micheline isn’t modernising the samba; she’s just doing what comes naturally to her. There is a good mix on the album too. Slow songs come up in the right place and the whole album flows and works not just as a set of songs. For my taste some of the strings and horns are a little clean cut rather than the rough and raw style I prefer, but for those who like a clean sleek edge on music, the album won’t disappoint. My only major complaint is the cover that at a glance looks like you’re in for some sombre and heart aching tunes. You aren’t though, there’s plenty for everyone on this album.

Micheline Cardoso’s new album stands out as a slightly different and edgy take on the modern samba album, and is well worth a listen!

You can buy Cascadura Samba at Micheline’s Bandcamp page and listen to it below:

There is more information on this release at afrobaile.com/michelinecardoso.html

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