Sandra De Sa is one of the most commercially successful Brazilian soul singers... Born in Rio, she sang in various Carnaval parties and blocos before breaking into a recording career in the early '80s, where she took up the banner of the soul scene of '70s pioneers such as Cassiano and Luiz Melodia. She also has covered numerous North American soul and R&B songs, including a recent tribute to the Motown sound. Here's a quick look at her work...
Sandra De Sa "Focus: O Essential De Sandra De Sa" (BMG, 1999)
I kinda hate to admit it, but for the style this ain't bad... Taken as a whole, this set of tunes from 1986-1998 presents her in a much better light than any of the regular albums I've heard so far. It's not a type of music I'm fond of, but this collection does do a good job presenting her as a legitmate heir to the soft-soul sound pioneered by Tim Maia, Cassiano Hyldon and the like... This is probably the disc to shoot for if you want to give her a shot.
Sandra De Sa "Serie 100 Anos De Musica" (BMG-RCA, 2001)
Another simply dreadful set, this time a 2-CD collection of her hits... Ugh. It's prefab and pre-drab, lifeless synthy soul, with a few smatterings of canned funk riffs thrown in from time to time, just for the heck of it. It's really just awful.
Sandra De Sa "Demonio Cororido" (RGE, 1980)
Sandra De Sa "Sandra Sa" (RGE, 1982)
Sandra De Sa "Vale Tudo" (RGE, 1983)
Sandra De Sa "Sandra Sa" (Som Livre, 1984)
Sandra De Sa "Sandra Sa" (RCA, 1986)
An appallingly drekky soft-soul, retro-disco flavored album, at least five years out of date by the time it was made. Plus, her voice just isn't that good. Skip it. (Reissued in the USA on the Braziloid label...)
Sandra De Sa "Sandra De Sa" (BMG-Ariola, 1988)
Sandra De Sa "Sandra!" (BMG-Ariola, 1990)
Sandra De Sa "Lucky!" (BMG-Ariola, 1991)
Sandra De Sa "D'Sa" (BMG-Ariola, 1993)
Sandra De Sa "Olhos Coloridos" (Som Livre, 1995)
Sandra De Sa "A Lua Sabe Quem Eu Sou" (Warner, 1996)
Sandra De Sa "Eu Sempre Fui Sincero, Voce Muito Bem" (Warner, 1998)
Sandra De Sa "Momentos Que Marcam Demais" (Warner, 2000)
Sandra De Sa "Pare, Olhe, Escute: Sandra De Sa Traduz Os Sucessos Da Motown" (Universal, 2002)
Sandra De Sa "Musica Preta Brasileira" (Universal, 2004) (DVD)
