2009 release. Conceived in Rio de Janeiro, samba has provided the rhythm to Brazilian life for almost 100 years. Now revered across the planet Brazil's national obsession is literally religion. Bringing together the finest sambistas, Strictly Samba puts exceptional talents Seu Jorge, Roge and Teresa Cristina, who have revitalized the genre, alongside legendary artists Elza Soares, Trio Mocoto, The Ipanemas and Azymuth, who embody the timeless music. Strictly Samba is the second in Far Out Recording's genre series, following 2008's hugely successful Far Out Bossa Nova, and gives a real insight to a vast field. Samba is the synthesis of Brazilian and African culture telling the stories of the working class since the late days of slavery; playing samba allowed African slaves to worship without anyone realizing it. Samba is a myriad of sub-genres and Strictly Samba covers it's styles, from jongo to pagode, from batucada to samba soul. Carnival and radio made samba Brazil's national music before Brazil's most famous Hollywood export - Carmen Miranda - defined it globally. Following a brief decline in samba's popularity bossa nova's success created a backlash, which brought samba back in the 1960s. Strictly Samba brings some of the greatest Brazilian samba musicians to the party. Seu Jorge is the modern, international face of samba. Having lived on the streets as a teenager he turned his life around and has starred in acting roles including Knockout Ned in City Of God (2002). "Carolina" typifies his ability to write great contemporary samba tracks. Roge is a true carioca, a son of Rio, and one to watch. Strictly Samba kicks off with his "Suingue do Samba" ("Samba Swing"), a catchy homage to the force of samba. Arthur Verocai is a multi-talented guitar player, composer and arranger. The track "Tudo de Bom" is another swinging samba rock track taken from his most recent album. "Depois de Carnival" from Azymuth, is an infectious samba, which pays tribute to Rio's king of swing Ed Lincoln. "Samba Da Silva" is a classy duet inspired by the gafieiras (ballroom) dances of '40s/'50s Brazil. The Ipanemas track "Era Bom" is reminiscent of the old style of samba known as samba-cancao with Wilson das Neves on lead vocals. Also features: Teresa Cristina E Grupo Semente, Nereu Mocotó & Swing, Zaira, Aparecindinha, Grupo Batuque, Dom Um And Jadir de Castro, Joyce, Elza Soares and Armando Marçal.