Cocoa's Summer Soundtrack

I love Brazil.

I love the food, people, language (Brazilian Portuguese melts my soul) and most of all the music. It was the music of Brazil that inspired me to seek out other forms of world music and eventually go on to program XM Satellite Radio's World Music Channel, Worldzone for 4 glorious years.


It all began with this album. Putumayo's Brasileiro. This is one of my favorite albums...EVER. This is the kind of music that makes a fool out of you. It doesn't matter where you are - the car, the kitchen, or the subway, I dare you to sit still. This, my friends, is dancing music. All of the songs are in Portuguese but don't let that stop you, Putumayo provides the phonetic spelling of the song titles and the English translation of most the lyrics. I strongly recommend you head over to their website and order a copy. Before you do, I must warn you that the purchase of this album may lead to fits of irrational behavior which could include but are not limited to: the spending of obscene amounts of money on Brazilian CD's and downloads, an appetite for unusually strong cyparinias (remind me to tell you the story about me, a group of senior citizens and a bottle of Canchasa) or the sudden urge to pack up every summer dress you own and head for the coasts of Bahia. Don 't say I didn't warn you.


For those of you who want to ease your way into Brazilian music or if Ethno-Fusion is more your thing, may I recommend the new Sergio Mendes album, Encanto. You may remember a couple of years back when Sergio teamed up with Will.i.am for the album Timeless. Well they're back and they've enlisted the help of an "A" list team of collaborators including, Natalie Cole, Zap Mama, Fergie and the brilliant Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. Love Him. Unlike, Timeless, this album is more Samba than Hip Hop, which makes it perfect for a day at the beach, or a Sunday afternoon at home. Encanto won't be available in the US until July . If you can't wait until then, check out iTunes Italy.



I'll share more of my summer picks later, in the meantime feel free to share your own in the comments section.

Sergio Mendes & Black Eyed Peas

"Mas Que Nada"

from the album Timeless

Warning: This video is HOT LIKE FYAH!