Bianca Rossini – Rio Paradise
(Apaixonada Music/BDM Records)
Released – 11 February 2021
Can I fully appreciate music with lyrics in a language that’s not mine?
Bianca Rossini is a Brazilian-born, Beverly Hills-based singer-songwriter. This is a five-track EP that features all original material in Portuguese and English. This builds on her last album, “Vento do Norte.” Ms. Rossini flips the switch on one track from that album – “Ipanema Paraíso” – from Portuguese to English, to become “Ipanema Paradise.”
“Return to Brazil,” released in 2017 as a single, is performed both in English and Portuguese.
Once again, Ms. Rossini brings an effortless sensuality to the lyrics in both Portuguese and English. The two opening tracks are in Portuguese – “Mariana” and “Canto de Mi Tierra.”
About “Canto de Mi Tierra,” Ms. Rossini says it was composed on a trip to Lima, Peru:
“One night, I visited an art gallery next to where I was staying, where there was a sculpture exhibit by a Columbian artist. An art piece immediately touched my heart, and – boom – right there, the entire song was born. I was alone in the gallery, and I walked around singing the new melody and words. There was a bit of an echo; it was a very intimate and spiritual experience. Peru is an extraordinary place for me.”
The backing group frames Ms. Rossini’s supple voice nicely. Back to the original question – Can I fully appreciate music with lyrics in a language that’s not mine?
This is a set of tunes that are easy on the ears. When it’s this good – it really doesn’t matter.
This set is highly recommended – “Ipanema Paradise” will be added to the playlist at 62ndStreet.com Online Radio.