Elza Soares has been a renowned and experienced Brazilian singer for some decades. Granted, she is not for everyone. She has the true swing of the sambistas do morro (of the hills), which has become rare as more and more middle-class artists hit the market, trying to perform in this hard idiom, but she yells, and the sambistas don't; in the romantic songs, her performance is a bit over, like the radio singers of the old days, and she has a strong influence of
Louis Armstrong. In this album she explores styles ranging from gafieira to sensitive songs, from samba-canção to sambão, from bossa nova samba partido alto, keeping a strong presence throughout; she isn't too much concerned with subtlety, and her interpretations are in-your-face.