With a warm voice that's instantly recognizable with the smoky warmth of a Brazilian churrasco, Kenia has returned to the forefront of Brazilian music in the US with her new album The Ivan Lins Project, featuring Ivan Lins and husband Jay Ashby.
It's been a long road back for Kenia, who just a few short years ago, stood ready to move her career into high gear with a new radio format and a polished poised sound courtesy of Zebra Records. But the evolution of "New Age" on the radio dial into smooth jazz soon left Kenia on the distant horizon, and when Zebra Records folded in the early 1990s, Kenia looked to pursue a jazzier direction, with only mixed results.
The Ivan Lins Project is the latest chapter in Kenia's career. Before moving to the US in 1980, she worked Rio's nightclub circuit and listened to a wide variety of pop and jazz artists while developing her own unique sound. She appeared on trumpeter Claudio Roditi's Red on Red album and also sang on James Taylor's memorable "Only a Dream in Rio" recording.
When I first became interested in Brazilian music nearly ten years ago now, there wasn't really that much out there for me to explore, but among the Astrud Gilberto reissues and Stan Getz classics, I came across Kenia's first two albums by accident. The brightly colored artwork of Initial Thrill caught my eye and her singing captured my imagination.
Carioca (from Rio) by birth, singer by trader, Kenia embodies the best of the modern Brazilian sound. It's a romantic cross between pop and bossa that plays well with the images that only a sunny day or a romantic night in Rio can conjure up. With The Ivan Lins Project Kenia makes a welcome return to the style that suits her best, and in a marketplace filled with many singers bent on following the new Brazilian trend into street samba and rap, that's good news for all of us.
The Ivan Lins Project is a collection of songs penned by the famous songwriter, and while this has been done before, it rarely has been done so well. One of the major reasons for this is Kenia's affinity with Lins' music. Both are well suited for each other in ways that recall Antônio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Making this point almost overstates the obvious, but it's a point well worth repeating, if for no other reason that, while Lins is widely regarded as one of the world's best pop composers, his recordings can vary from brilliant to middle of the road.
Kenia's interpretation of Lins is what sets this album apart from every other Lins' project since Mark Murphy's 1986 Night Mood album. Both albums share the same approach to artistic success: unmatched enthusiasm for the material and a unique style that compliments both the lyrics and the melody. On Kenia's album, Ivan appears as a special guest on two tracks "Even You & I" and "Closer to Me," both with English lyrics. All 13 songs shine in brilliant contrast: the sentimental respect of "Meu Pais," the soft bossa pacing of "Into the Light." Tight arrangements frame such Lins favorites including "Who's in Love Here" and the jazzy samba "Desesperar Jamais" featuring Jay Ashby's smooth trombone play, which recalls Kenia's initial recordings which a certain nostalgic joy. Others like "Answered Prayers" and "Mudança dos Ventos" showcase Kenia's passion for a Lins melody, especially when the arrangements compliment her style.
Kenia represents an important link in the Brazilian musical idiom. She at once can create a contemporary vision of the best in Ivan Lins songbook, and then turn it around to make the melody her own. She owns the songs she sings by virtue of her ability to translate the emotional messages with her vocal warmth.
Surveying the musical landscape of Brazil is sometimes a daunting task. And sometimes its brings mixed results. With Brazilian critics trying desperately to name the next Elis, or Gal it becomes difficult to understand either the artist or the critic's point of view as they search for that elusive goal. And all too often that search leads nowhere for the music fan, who ends up wondering what all the fuss is about in the first place.
But Kenia is a Brazilian original, building a bridge to the next generation of Brazilian music fans by following in the footsteps of Astrud Gilberto, the closest I can think of in terms of Kenia's ability to translate that wonderful sense of saudade and spice that her songs provide. One can't listen to Kenia sing without appreciating her artistry. Her voice can suspend time, and it can lead you to think about nothing at all, even if just for a few minutes, and in this day that's nothing short of miraculous.