By Ernest Barteldes

When you think that Brazilians have nothing incredibly new to offer anymore, given the fact that so much has come out from there, here comes this new singer/songwriter from Sao Paulo to prove you otherwise with this Starbucks release.

On this début album, she blends influences from Lauryn Hill, Marisa Monte (who, incidentally, is a confessed fan), Elis Regina, African music and fado, emerging with a personal melodic blend that she can call her own. "Lenda" (Legend) has a powerful, bluesy backbeat that serves to enhance her already powerful voice, and she takes ownership of "Concrete Jungle"(the only English-language track on the album) by giving it a refreshing Euro-African arrangement.

Listen to "Malemolência"(loosely translated as "Bad Attitude"), an R&B-inflected tune in which electronic elements are blended with Latin American beats with very good results and the original "Mais Um Lamento"(Another Cry) has retro-like feel, as if it were a creative remake of something Caetano Veloso or Chico Buarque without being too reverential.