March 1998

Camila Benson
Desafinado: Songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim II
Satellites

By Marcela Breton

This is vocalist Benson's second release consisting entirely of Jobim compositions. Bassist Lincoln Goines guests on four cuts while saxophonist Craig Rivers is heard on "Meditation," "So Nice" and "Ele e Carioca." Keyboardist and guitarist Ryo Kawasaki arranged and mixed the tunes. On "Samba do Aviao" and "Samba da Bencao," Benson plays acoustic guitar. Benson has an unadorned, slightly husky voice well-suited to interpreting such Jobim standards as "Desafinado" and "Aguas de Marco."