Sonantes

  The mood on the debut album by Brazil 's Sonantes is, well, Brazilian. The music is a delightful synthesis of spaghetti westerns and reggae, samba and '60s rock, Eastern Bloc pop and spy movie techno, but the spirit is like the cool breeze that touched “The Girl From Ipanema.” The album's concept is a collection of themes from imaginary films; Sonantes works on that level, painting soundscapes from dark to sunny behind the dry yet sensual voice of the woman who goes by the cryptic name of CéU. The music is refreshingly contemporary yet in keeping with the precedent set by Gilberto Gil and other vanguard Brazilian artists of the '60s, who merged local traditions with pop and rock from around the world.