Taurina

Not for nothing is Anelis Assumpção the daughter of the peculiar and rebellious Brazilian musician Itamar Assumpção. Itamar took part in São Paulo's Vanguarda Paulista during the 1970s and 80s, a movement responsible for the birth of the city's independent circuit. A Jimi Hendrix aficionado, his music blended classical samba with rock, jazz and reggae, creating a language of his own. Anelis clearly follows in her father's footsteps and Taurina, her third album, is a quite stunning example of her tremendous elegance and style.

Cris Scabello and Maurício Fleury, from Brazilian Afrobeat band Bixiga 70, are an integral part of Taurina's outstanding band and they help Anelis build a sensuous world where straightforward traditional samba, reggae-meets-soul songs (‘Mortal à Toa’ and ‘Paint My Dreams’) and delirious pop marvels such as ‘Segunda a Sexta’ make every bit of sense together. The mouth-watering lyrics frequently address food and drinks of all sorts of flavour; no wonder that Taurina leaves us with such a brilliant aftertaste. Assumpção never misses a trick, but it's standout tracks like the horn-propelled, genre-defying ‘Chá de Jasmim’ that make a strong case for the singer being mandatory listening.