A spunky pop singer from Northeastern Brazil, Margareth Menezes illustrates the richness and depth of the Afro-Brazilian experience on Kindala. In contrast to so much of the softer, more jazz-influenced pop that has come out of Rio de Janeiro, Kindala is grittier and notably percussive, yet consistently melodic. One of the album's many assets is an inspired version of Milton Nascimento's "Blind Faith, Sharp Knife," which many Brazilians adopted as a rallying cry against Brazil's military regime of the mid-'70s. From "Negrume Da Noite" to "Negro Nago," much of this engrossing CD is a joyous celebration of Black culture -- not only in Brazil, but also, in Africa, the U.S. and Jamaica. In fact, the influence of Jamaica's #1 export, reggae, is hard to miss on "Jet Ski," "Repetique Romantico" and "Me Abraca E Me Beija."
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