A singer with a 14-letter, consonant-rich last name might find an obstacle to fame but Basia Trzetrzelewska became an international pop star some thirty years ago and everyone knows her by her first name, anyway. The former Matt Bianco lead vocalist carried forward that British band’s luscious brand of Brazilian jazzy soul and reeled off an impressive trio of albums in the late ’80s/early ’90s that represented the cream of the adult contemporary crop for that time. And then a live album, and then for a number of years, not much.
A reunion with Matt Bianco for their 2004 album Matt’s Mood presaged her full comeback disc It’s That Girl Again five years later. But Basia is still disinclined to rush out new material and Butterflies — slated for release May 18th, 2018 from her new label Shanachie Entertainment — will be her first set of fresh recordings since then.
Basia has a recognizable style of Latin-flavored, danceable pop that has a certain sophistication to it, and that’s endeared her to many fans around the globe so there’s no reason to depart from that winning formula. The advance track “Matteo,” streamed above, gives no indication she’s going to, either. As with every one of her other studio albums, keyboardist, songwriter and producer Danny White is her collaborator, a very good sign indeed. Moreover, her voice on the easy groovin’ “Matteo” is the same tender but potent croon we’ve heard since her pre-solo days with Matt Bianco. The Brazilian stylings on this song also get a lift from a Spanish, nylon acoustic guitar (could that be Danny White’s brother Peter?).
Contrary to the line in the chorus for “Matteo” that goes “nothing will ever be the same again,” things are the same again for Basia. Thank goodness for that.
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