Café Bossa (Sitti)

Café Bossa
Artist: Sitti
Record Label: Warner Philippines
Released: 2006

5 out of 5 stars!

Bossa Nova quietly entered the Filipino music scene, led by the angelic voice of Sitti Navarro, who rightly deserves the recognition of bringing the Bossa trend to the country. Now, this classy, soothing musical genre is everywhere.

I've seen new Bossa Nova artists surfacing everywhere, but Sitti possesses a distinct identity that brings her above all the others.

In Sitti's debut album under Warner entitled "Café Bossa," our ballad and rock-filled music industry gets a new flavor. Sitti captures her listeners with soothing melodies and vocals. If you're up for ear-shattering beats, you're looking at the wrong album. "Café Bossa" is suitable for those laying-back and relaxing moments, while you drift away with the soothing music.

The album's first track, "Girl From Ipanema," is a revival written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Sitti sings in an impressive mix of English and Portuguese. You may be fooled the first time you listen to this cut, as it sounds as if it was sung by a Portuguese singer. Sitti's Portuguese diction sounds very natural and is easy to listen to.

"Tattooed on My Mind" is a pleasure from start to finish. The arrangement is so relaxing, not to mention Sitti's vocals.

Sitti's rendition of "Hey Look at the Sun" is a delight. The song is light and suitable for easy-listening, coupled with a lovely message.

"Invisible War" is mystical and eerie. The tone and arrangement of the song gives it a dark and sad aura to it.

Enough slow songs, welcome "One Note Samba," a slightly upbeat yet similarly relaxing cut. Sitti is amazing with her use of two languages in the song, as she doesn't seem to find it hard to utter words in a language not native to her.

"Close to You," the Carpenters original, receives an extreme make-over with Sitti's rendition. The song is interesting with the touch of Bossa Nova.

One of my favorites in this album is "Mas Que Nada." Sitti stays true by using the song's original lyrics written in Portuguese. She breezes her way through the song as she effortlessly sings in a foreign language.

Finally, this album surely cannot be called "Pinoy" without a Tagalog song in it. "Para sa Akin" is a proof that Bossa Nova sounds equally great in Tagalog, as it is in English or Portuguese. This song has become a crowd favorite, as it hit various local charts in the Philippines.

With the success of Sitti's "Café Bossa," she proves to us that the Pinoy taste in music is always open to new flavors and genres. Bossa Nova is now an integral part of Original Pinoy Music.