Ricardo Silveira / Vinicius Cantuária: RSVC

If there's a recording that could instantly transport you to a balmy tropical island with your favorite beverage in hand, then this wonderful collaboration between Brazilian guitarists Ricardo Silveira and Vinicius Cantuaria should do the job quite nicely with a few unexpected surprises.

Each has amassed a level of rock-star like acclaim in their respective careers with numerous individual projects and collaborations such as Cantuária's and Bill Frisell's Lagrimas Mexicanas (E1 Music, 2011) and this year's Atlanticos (Adventure Music) featuring Silveira and Roberto Taufic. While those were noteworthy, their first alliance in RSVC is sheer bliss.

Enticing vocals and infectious rhythms are a given in the ultra-suave "Sessão Das Onze (Wanderley)" and the copacetic "Perritos." Yet there are also unusual detours along the way in "A La Dori" with its tranquil escapism and "Dia De Sol (Sunny Day)" which mixes folk music with small doses of electronic psychedelic affects.

The two performers are consummate artisans. A skillful troubadour, Cantuária's voice pours out fragrant lyrics in "Mais Nada (Nothing More)" while Silveira's electric guitar produces spaghetti western-like trimmings or the way the two acoustic guitars negotiate the melody within the rustic "Matuto." A sense of alluring isolation completes the program with "Trilha Polar (Polar Trail)" marked by Cantuária's tender crooning and Silveira's tantalizing touches. A long overdue meeting of two masters; this is a gorgeous recording.

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