CD Review: 3 Na Massa

Here's an album of music you don't hear everyday. 3 Na Massa celebrates the steamy, sensual side of life with 13 tracks of Brazilian electro-lounge combo music featuring a different female entertainer telling a story of intimate, sensual dreams and desires. The album could be tacky, but it's not. It's unusual, fresh and guaranteed adult entertainment for fans of this type of music.

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Rica Amabis of the Sao Paulo-based collective Insituto got together with bassist Dengue and drummer Pupillo of the Pernambuco rock band Nacao Zumbi. The idea was to musically illustrate erotic comic book frames of Italian artist Milo Manara. They signed on 13 actresses - some with singing experience, some without - to act-out tracks that tell little confidential stories about the erotic, sensual desires of women as a sort of musical bubble caption to Manara's sexy cartoon frames.

Released by Manhattan's trendy, alternative, eclectic Nublu Records, 3 Na Massa means '3 For The Money' and if you read the album description before listening to the music, it seems like it might be just that: a tabloid-worthy way to make a few bucks.

So it came as a surprise that the album is pretty good. With a combination of sparse, jazzy, electronic Brazilian lounge music as background, the 13 ladies tell some pretty intimate tales, selling the stories while remaining true to the musical theme.

The performers include some of Brazil's favorite female entertainers including (among others) Starbuck pick Ceu, Nina Miranda, Thalma de Freitas, Karine Carvalho and Alice Braga.

There's no doubt the ladies had a lot of fun with this album and if this kind of music is to your taste, you will too.