Carla Hassett – Quero Saber (Paulista Records, 2006)
Brazil seems to have an endless supply of great musicians. Carla Rigolin Hassett is yet another name to add to the list. Her latest CD, titled Quero Saber (I Want to know), has an excellent collection of contemporary Brazilian songs.
Carla composes a lot of her material and likes to experiment with her vocals, using overdubs and a wide range of effects. She also likes cool electronics. In addition to guitar, Carla plays keyboards and programs electronic sounds. And she also features electric violin wizard Jerry Goodman, who plays a terrific solo.
Quero Saber combines MPB, hip hop, Brazilian folk, jazz, the ubiquitous reggaetón and contemporary bossa nova. When singing in English, Carla Hassett sounds surprisingly similar to Flora Purim, although her use of vocal effects gives a very current sound.
Carla Hassett may not have the support of major labels or large indies, but she has proven to be an important artist in Brazilian contemporary music.
Buy Quero Saber.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.