Domenico+2

Sincerely Hot (Luka Bop)

Feb 9, 2005 at 4:00 am
Like British counterparts Sidestepper and Da Lata, Domenico+2 offers further proof that Brazilian music can yield some of the most intriguing forays into electro-trad fusion. The key difference, though, is that Domenico+2 is actually Brazilian. And that indigenous legacy is important: Guitarist Moreno Veloso is the son of Brazilian songwriting legend Caetano Veloso. Bassist/producer Alexandre Kassin and drummer Domenico Lancelotti round out the group.

The second in a trilogy of albums, each focusing on a different member of the trio, Sincerely Hot surfs across traditional samba and batucada rhythms with one fin dipped into glitchy digital enhancement and another paddling the whitewater of noise rock and hard funk. Though Lancelotti's drums are often put at the forefront, there are still plenty of breezy bossa nova strumming and sun-baked vocals in the mix. Like the ocean itself, this stuff is sharply unpredictable, cramming in enough jackhammer funk and shout-along Portuguese to keep you guessing at every turn.