Canibália

iTunes Review

Brazilian pop star Daniela Mercury has performed in many styles over the course of a solo career dating back to 1991. The high-energy singer/songwriter foregrounds that eclecticism on Canibália. The title refers to the poet Oswald de Andrade’s “Cannibal Manifesto,” an early 20th-century text celebrating Brazil’s ability to absorb or “cannibalize” other cultures. One of the album’s most striking aspects is how Mercury combines so many genres and periods into a coherent whole. “Oyá Por Nós,” where Margareth Menezes joins Mercury on vocals, pairs traditional Afro-Brazilian percussion with club music programming. A sample of Carmen Miranda circa 1939 appears on “O Que é Que a Baiana Tem?,” and the Brazilian icon sounds right at home in the modern setting. “Sol do Sul” is an easygoing slice of reggae, and the samba “Preta” features a nice duet with Seu Jorge. There’s a strong version of the Chico Buarque classic “O Que Será,” while “A Vida é Um Carnaval” makes a dizzying array of elements fit together to create a joyful sound.