a r t i s t : Badi Assad
t i t l e : Wonderland
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Edge
g e n r e : Pop-Folk
r l s. d a t e : Jun/2007
t r a c k s : 13
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 58,2 MB
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Wonderland is something like the musical equivalent of a
photographic negative: an oddly inverted place which--as one
might guess-ûbears more than a passing resemblance to the
world Alice visits in Lewis Carroll's masterpiece. Badi
Assad's second release on edge/Deutsche Grammophon--a
collection of her versions of other artists'
compositions--brings new meaning to the term "cover," by
concealing sobering political and social messages under
alluring and often jubilant melodies. She addresses domestic
violence with Asian Dub Foundation's "1000 Mirrors,"
transforms the cold shimmer of Tori Amos's "Black-Dove
(January)" into a subdued meditation on rape, and movingly
laments child prostitution on "O Mundo ╩ Um Moinho" ("The
World Is a Mill"). It is a testament to Assad's artistry,
however, that Wonderland's most captivating piece is probably
her collaboration with Chico CΘsar on "Zoar" ("Buzzing"), an
atmospheric march through shadows and light that is by turns
ominous and whimsical. And, of course, always hiding behind
Assad's enchanting voice is her stellar guitar work, which
shines in a beautiful interlude on the album-opening "Acredite
Ou Nπo" ("Believe It or Not") and conjures the dark gravity of
flamenco's Soleß on "Distantes Demais" ("Too Far Away"). So it
seems likely that long-time aficionados will be eager to fall,
like Alice, into Wonderland's rabbit hole--and new fans will
find it a challenging work that rewards repeated listening.
--Brent Kallmer
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01-acredite ou nπo [04:23]
02-from united states of piauφ [02:30]
03-1000 mirrors [03:45]
04-distantes demais [02:58]
05-sweet dreams [03:19]
06-a banca do distinto [03:25]
07-black dove [05:48]
08-zoar [04:08]
09-vacilπo [04:08]
10-o mundo Θ um moinho [04:02]
11-one more kiss, dear [03:27]
12-o que seria? [04:59]
13-estrada do sol [02:51]
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49:43 min