At once we recognize these rhythms as Bossa Nova or Jazzanova music- and that's almost what's up on "Antigua" from Tom & Joy [Tommy Boy tb-1622-2]. Just like the geographic location the album is named after, it is sultry and warm with gentle breezes – but there is more... Put this music on and be instantly swept away to the French Riviera or maybe the sands of Brazilian beaches; in fact, some cuts remind me of Sergio Mendes' Brasil series from the sixties and seventies.
The duo hails from Paris, France and are Thomas Naim ("Tom") and Joyce Hose-Liwer ("Joy"). They are backed by a five-piece band; these players should be a "joy" to experience live as well. Categorized as world music, it also evokes the Astrud Gilberto/Antonio Carlos Jobim "Ipanema" feel. There suddenly is a revival of sorts in that genre going round! Romance linguists will revel in translating lyrics in Spanish, French and Portuguese; for us monolinguals, there are tunes in English as well.
From the first acoustic Spanish guitar notes, have your passport ready for a smooth, samba-like groove called "Meditation." Joy's supple subdued voice cures your cares away. This CD changes moods with the finesse of a great baseball hurler with lots of pitches in his arsenal.
Next is "Sous tes ailes," meaning "Under Your Wings," which strikes a slower, and more introspective mood. On "Be Mine," Sophie DeLila joins Joy in a relationship reality duet carpeted by muted trumpet and rhythms mucho. Next is "Broadway," a big-time jazzy jam like the street running from north of Harlem to the Bowery in Manhattan. "Jamaica," cut eight, is represented by the perpetual motion of voice and syncopated lyric without the reggae influence that I'd expect from a tune with that title.
I love the cool flugelhorn of Airelle Besson on track ten, "Out of My Mind" -one of the English cuts... nice solo too. "Otro Mundo", track twelve, features Lonnie Liston Smith-ish keyboard work by Tom and Francoise Faure and more good horn. It'll have you dancing the samba across your hardwood floors!
Finally, imagine the end credits rolling to the tune "Lluvia," the word for "rain" in Spanish. This is a soul-searching ballad that helped me settle the world at my imaginary outdoor European café. "The song is about someone who remembers his lost lover by watching the rain; a metaphor between the rain and the tears of this person," Joy elaborates.
I've literally awakened to this CD, playing it at the start of the day while sipping a cup of black java, and I recommend that as a way you too can let the music take you away to the Lesser Antilles.
This CD, Tommy Boy (NYC) only by deal; is really the project of Bob Sinclar, the "father of French House" and self-acknowledged "big fan of Brazilian music". When I asked him how he feels about the duo's evolution since their first release, "Limbo Experience" in January of 1999, he said "It was fun to produce two young French people completely into the same vibe; they've not really changed so much, but their sound has matured and become more personal." Peck-out www.bobsinclar.com for the further 411. Much thanks to Andyman Reynolds, www.penetrationinc.com, for connecting me with T & J.
Now, my coffee cup empty, my soul back from this holiday and inspired, I rate this with five stars, because there is none higher.
