Marisa Monte - MM (1988)

This was the first release of Marisa and it is as good as her later and better-known albums and, overall, it is quite more audacious. Marisa hadn't developed her talents as a songwriter by this time, but the repertoire is highly stimulating, with creative covers of old sambas, rock tunes from the Tropicalia and Jovem Guarda era (the late sixties) and a few jazz standards. Even in this first album, Marisa was already totally mature vocally and demonstrated her incredible range by singing a wide variety of styles with the same skill and with a marked personality. She can be now aggressive ("Comida", "Ando meio desligado"), now sweet and lovely ("Bem que se quis", "Lenda das sereias"), and always so sultry... An essential album for all Marisa Monte fans.