Tita Lima - 11:11 (+Contest!)

Tita Lima is the daughter of Liminha, bassist in the Brazilian rock band Os Mutantes. With 11:11 she dares her first solo steps, after playing and singing with dozens of popular musicians.

Tita mixes up the Brazilian sounds of MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), samba and bossa nova in a dub-rich setting. Leaning towards latin jazz at one point, and to hiphop on others, 11.11 is the ideal record for enjoying a glass of wine in the afternoon sun. Best 30 seconds of the album: Tita singing along to the funky trumpet solo in "A Conta Do Samba" like a true jazz muse. The song is a personal favorite of famed DJ Gilles Peterson, and I'm a fan too: check that delicious wah-wah guitar!

Gradually, this record became the soundtrack of my springtime 2007. There's something about a sensual female voice singing in an unfamiliar language that makes me long for a sunny patch of white sand. Tita Lima has that warm, mellow sound of voice that will enchant you, and the rich and soulful arrangements highlight her vocal talent perfectly. A must for this summer!

And you can WIN this album right here! Just send an e-mail with your mailing address to laondatropical@gmail.com, and you're eligible to win. The contest ends next monday (July 9th), and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards. Good luck!

Tita Lima - A Conta Do Samba mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon