Hollywood Rio blends the sounds of this Brazilian chanteuse’s roots with the cinematic music of Los Angeles. The album is Ana Caram’s tribute to the music of Hollywood. Combining her sultry voice and passionate Brazilian flare with L.A.’s cool electric sound, Caram sings such Hollywood classics such as “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca. Together with Michel Friedenson’s rich electric orchestral arrangements, Hollywood Rio is a 21st century look at Hollywood’s past.

A superior Brazilian jazz singer, Ana Caram takes a slight detour on this CD, stretching her repertoire while mostly still performing in a style influenced by bossa nova. One does not get to hear such songs as “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” “Smile,” and “As Time Goes By” in a bossa nova setting that often. Also unusual is that Michel Freidenson plays all of the instruments other than the reeds (which are performed by Lawrence Feldman), and most of his electronic instruments sound real enough not to be an issue. The focus throughout is on Caram’s lovely voice and she excels on this material, showing that it really is not what you sing but how you sing it. Recommended.