GILBERTO, BEBEL

Bebel Gilberto. The name sounds like a caress and this time around our Brazilian sweetheart's voice is dreamier, more soothing - indeed, more soulful - than ever. Her songs are still finely crafted, still aimed straight at the heart, most are now written or cowritten by the artist herself.

There are beats, of course, and bossa nova, and an abundance of laid back cool. She still straddles the club floor/traditional divide with kitten-heeled panache. But this proudly self-titled new album has something else as well. An increased confidence, perhaps. A maturity, a curiosity, born of experience - of ignoring expectations, then surpassing them. Bebel Gilberto is no longer the princess of the Brazilian music boom. She is, unequivocally, its queen.

Estimated despatch 14-20 days after ordering.