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Title: Classic Brazilian pop/jazz vocals
Review: This twofer reissue combines the first two albums by this swinging bossa-era Brazilian vocalist, "Rapaz De Bem," from 1961, and "Diagonal," from 1964. Although he actually began his career in the early 1950s, during the height of the "radio singers" era, Johnny Alf is considered a key figure in the development of bossa nova. These two albums have been re-released as a single CD, and give a nice picture of Alf at his peak. The perky, chugga-chugga arrangements and slushy string sections may get irritating after a while, but taken in small doses, this is pretty classy stuff. Like his idol, Dick Farney, Alf was still a bit of a Sinatra-esque crooner, but he also had a handle on the soulful downbeat that links him to the jazz-tinged hipness of his times.
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