Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Eliane Elias Covers Beck

This is sort of weird. Way back in the 90's, Beck made an announcement with his bossa nova/pop experiment, Tropicalia: This is where I add spice to the funk & junk. Last week, established jazz singer & pianist slash sex symbol Eliane Elias released her new CD, Around the City, on which she covers Beck's Tropicalia. It seems to be an announcement of her own: this is where I add the funk & junk to the spice. I love it - she slows it down, makes it sexier and surer. The piano, though subtle, is the foundation of this version.

Billboard described Around the City, as a "spellbinding meld of pop, Brazilian and Latin music with a jazz sensibility." I suspect that the movement toward adding pop/electronics to bossa/latin jazz might have influenced her music. The trend has worked wonders for Federico Aubele, Bebel Gilberto, and Cibelle. It's still a fresh sound, because radio hasn't exactly been saturated with it. If Eliane is able to tap into the market and gain a few extra fans, who then buy some of her older records and gain an appreciation of her work, I'm happy.

She doesn't need the electropop treatment, though; the songs stand on their own. With the embellishment, they stand and dance.

Eliane Elias mp3s:

Tropicalia (Beck Cover)
Running (DJ Strobe Remix)

Chill to Around the City.

No comments: