Versions of Monica

What have the likes of Barbie Almalbis and Paolo Santos wrought? A whole army of acoustic angels doing cover versions and originals, spreading far and wide the gospel of unplugged. Amid the perceived tunog acoustic glut in the record and CD bins and Muslim tiangges, one could perhaps come upon a gem of an album, in this case one not any less unplugged, from Brazil way, Bom Dia by As Meninas.

For Brazilian music relies heavily on backbeat and subtle yet spicy percussion, as well that understated but persistent acoustic strumming on mostly minor chords, and in a review in this same space some months ago we featured a noteworthy export from that country, Monica Vasconcelos and her band Nois, not Noir, as we had inadvertently written, perhaps thinking of another film noir, probably another Monica, Bellucci.

Comes now As Meninas, aka Monica Vasconcelos’ new band, actually Nois stripped down to the basic guitar (Ife Tolentino), percussion (Chris Wells), plus the added bonus of saxopone (Ingrid Laubrock). With Vasconcelos’ voice, easily the best thing to happen to Brazilian music since Astrud Gilberto driving it along, the listener cannot help but indeed have a Bom Dia, or good day.

As Meninas sheds new light on the bossa nova (A Ra, Insensatez, Dindi), the samba (Para-Raio, Que Maravilha/S‚Wonderful), and explores new ground with the samba reggae in the title cut, and the jazz waltz in Chovendo no Roseira. So while one may be strongly tempted to fall asleep with the soothing melodies and enchanting Lat-Am flavored rhythms, it would really be a pity to let all this pass by with less than a nodding acquaintance.

Certainly the fine interplay between vocalist Vasconcelos and sax player Laubrock should make anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of music sit up and say, why, it’s the most provocative and gently lilting combine we’ve heard since Gilberto and Stan Getz, Chick Corea and Flora Purim, Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, all light as a feather and bright size life walking by like the girl from Ipanema.

Cross-continental too is the composition of As Meninas, as Laubrock is from Germany and Wells is an Englishman in Sao Paolo, while Ife and Monica are as homegrown as the Amazon, but there are common denominators aside from the love of samba, and this can be gleaned in the CD cover, a Beetle, still a favorite form of transport from Berlin to Bahia, like the band’s music continuing to chug-chug-chug along.

Speaking of not fading away, then there’s Madonna and her Remixed and Revisited CD. Madonna, ever controversial, made some headlines when she did lip service to two younger stars not quite in her caliber, and that saliva-inducing threesome’s number is included here, the MTV awards performance of Like a Virgin. This song seems to validate Madonna’s being a gay icon, although admittedly it begins to grow hackneyed on the ears despite all the pomp and circumstance of this remake.

Not one to be left behind by trends, Madonna also delves into the nether regions of techno, with Nothing Fails replete with drum machines, loops and samples.

There’s also the reliable low-key disco in Nobody Knows Me. Yet the voice is not one to disappoint, whether the listener is gay or not, as Madonna is still a counter-culture symbol that rings true with her challenge to the establishment and its hypocrisy.

An MTV shown on prime time, Love Profusion really shows her in excellent form, though the images themselves may not be spectacular. The viewer/listener should be happy enough, for Madonna is a spectacle in herself. Now where can I borrow the old Penthouse that featured pictures of Madonna Ciccone?

Even such a progressive band as Sonic Youth have found in her an inspiration, having done a dark-eyed cover of Into the Groove. The seven-song EP Remixed and Revisited could well win her a new generation of fans, who will now get an inkling of what all the fuss was about.

Closer to acoustic heaven is the compilation album almostkindaacoustic 3 (a.k.a.), a 17-song affair of various artists from Lisa Loeb to Natalie Merchant, from Moonpools & Caterpillars to the Corrs. While we submit that the sound quality is crisp and clear and brings the best out of a decrepit CD player, the proceedings can easily lull one to slumber, or was that the alcohol working?

Moonpools we remember having visited the islands some time ago, the band being predominantly Fil-Am –the American vocalist and Pinoy guitarist are a couple, or at least they were when she dropped by her in-laws.

And it’s reassuring to hear Merchant again many years after 10,000 Merchants, er, Maniacs, and that she is very much around despite, or is it because of the wild maniacal merchants of the acoustic swell and tide.