More than a little bit of Monica

As these dog-years go by (and, as you know, we canines do them several at a time--though not exactly seven, as is commonly believed), I find myself--via my housemate, of course, since I'm yet to learn how to operate an iPod--looking increasingly backward, musically speaking, at least in terms of style. The three albums in rotation in our house lately are all by the divine Brazilian singer Monica Salmaso whose music--inspired mainly by Brazilian folk forms and vintage versions of popular genres like samba, accompanied by sophisticated instrumentation combining elements of classical and jazz--gets more brilliant the more you listen. And of course there's an accordionist featured prominently in her band, though where our love for the sound of this instrument comes from, we haven't a clue.

Listen to Monica here (studio performance with Benjamin Taubkin, her pianist and musical collaborator), and see her here (on stage at the Kennedy Centre with BT) and here (interview and sound check for the Spoleto Music Festival). Tell me she isn't great.

(For near-instant access to all three of Monica's solo albums check out the fair-trade download site Calabash Music, but for the sonic quality alone you need to own the CDs as well.)