Eliane Elias
' second record for
Bluebird
is, like the previous
Kissed by Nature
, a vocal date intended for crossover audiences.
Elias
connects with her
Brazilian pop
heritage by choosing to sing, early on, a pair of
Astrud Gilberto
pieces,
"Call Me"
and
"So Nice (Summer Samba),"
both of which fortuitously suit the short range of her voice. Still, she speaks far more with a half-minute of piano soloing than she does with several minutes of vocal interpretation, and sounds far more comfortable taking an extra verse of the latter in Portuguese. Unlike the
Gilberto
tracks,
succeeds on two
Antonio Carlos Jobim
compositions,
"Photograph"
and the title song, her voice ironically betraying her in the same seductive fashion that
Jobim
himself made a hallmark. Her solos, though beautiful and contemplative, are short and usually hug the shore. As an overall musician,
has sure instincts when playing or singing, and compensates for her lack of vocal strength by rarely lingering on her notes. ~ John Bush