A turbid land constantly ping-ponged with changing (and unreliable) governments, Brazil's voice continues to be heard today with further innovations by electronica and rock outfits (Suba, Nacão Zumbi, Otto) and films ("City of God," "Daughters of the Wind"). As the country becomes more prominent for artistic and social contributions, Universal launched a 12-disc series in May to look at how they got here. This second set pulls from two specific genres: bossa nova and samba. Bossa 4 Two ironically does not include Veloso (though Feijoada includes his upbeat "É Hoje" and "Isto Aqui O Que É"), but does feature his greatest influence, João Gilberto. The latter is heard alongside Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz on Brazil's infamous "The Girl From Ipanema," which, for some reason, was not included on The Girls From Ipanema from the first set of this series.

Most prominent on Bossa 4 Two is Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim, the man principally responsible for creating the sound. Pulling from cool-jazz sounds a la Chet Baker and adding in the harmonics of French composer Claude Debussy, Jobim's work created a serene aura where pianos, horns and guitars played gleefully and lyrics focused on women and the beach. This would change after the political coup in '64, when artists focused on the social aspects Samba was famous for while keeping sonic structure similar in intent (until Veloso and crew blew it wide open). Universal takes the safe route, creating this disc for Sunday brunch - light, airy, melodic and while thoroughly enjoyable, not very diverse. It's a great compilation of well-trod material, so for initiates Bossa 4 Two is a prime starting point, but for those in the game the album is merely a reminder.

The term Samba is an umbrella term for many styles of Brazilian folk. The name refers to both music and dance, and was made mainstream in 1916 by Donga and the band Oita Batutas. By 1956 Pierre Lavelle would open his Ballroom Samba to teach what was then considered "true Samba," but the rhythm dates back to Afro-Brazilian Candomble rituals influenced by the Yoruba. Samba means "to pray," and both dance and music were dedications to Orishas (deities/saints). By the time English and Portuguese invaders took control, they considered the practices sinful and outlawed the practice while spreading Christianity to the "pagan" peoples.

Much like the martial art/dance form capoeira, Samba was disguised and eventually assimilated into more "appropriate" European dance steps such as Mesemba, Carioca and Maxixe. The actress Carmen Miranda played no small part in spreading Samba to international audiences on screen, and as Brazilian citizens became more irritated by stringent laws, the folk music turned revolutionary. Samba was the music of the masses and lyrics discussed oppressors, shoddy living conditions and spiritual quests.

Modern Samba pulls directly from Choro and takes many forms, including the popular call-and-response samba de enredo, Carnaval samba and song samba (samba-cancon). The latter is most present on Feijoada, though a few Carnaval rhythms appear. But this disc dives into tropicalismo roots with tracks, as mentioned, by Veloso, as well as his sister Maria Bethãnia, Gil, Costa and one of Gil's biggest influences, Jorge Ben. In true marketing fashion, the CD cover includes a recipe for Feijoada, the country's famous pork-and-bean dish.

Samba Social Club is almost entirely song samba, pulling classics from masters - Jorge Aragão, Martinho Da Vila, Betha Carvalha - and compiling them into one very easy listening experience. The acoustic guitar strains interspersed with shakers and soft melodies layered with call-and-response choruses make this a fine, if not already well-circulated, collection. They may have all been heard before, but that does nothing to detract from intent: purity, even with the crisp vinyl crackles of older tracks; they only add to the authenticity of form and sound.

Contributed by: Derek Beres for www.afropop.org