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Ana Caram: Maracana (Chessky).
Singer Ana Caram’s name, spelled backwards, yields the title of this album, “Maracana,” which happens to be the name of the largest soccer stadium in Caram’s native Brazil. Perhaps that’s why the sound of a cheering crowd opens the title track; the roaring backdrop segues into subdued electric guitar lines, and the album ambles along warmly.
David Sacks’ bellowing trombone kick-starts the opening “Africando,” a parade song that glitters with Carnival pomp. Sashaying between American cabaret (she honed her craft in New York City) and her traditional roots, she sings most of the songs in Portuguese.