One of the most poetic and artful vocalists to emerge from Brazil in the last decade, Mônica Salmaso first made her mark as a solo artist by covering Afro-Sambas, the classic suite of tunes written by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes in the early '60s. The project established her knack for enhancing classic songwriting with her own lyric sensibilities. For her fifth record she tackles the hefty songbook of Chico Buarque, one of Brazil's most beloved and sophisticated composers. Supported by the highly flexible instrumental combo Pau Brasil, who combine a mastery of jazz-flavored improvisation, chamber arrangements and a firm grasp of Brazilian roots, Salmaso bypasses many of Buarque's hits in favor of lesser-known balladry. The format allows the singer's slightly husky, fluid voice to flourish. The titular samba lurks within many of these performances, but like the songwriter she's feting here, Salmaso generally puts beauty before beats.