''Chameleon'' is an album by the Brazilian musician

Badi Assad Badi Assad (born 23 December 1966) is a Brazilian singer, composer and guitarist in the jazz and worldbeat genres. Early life and education Assad was born in São João da Boa Vista in the state of São Paulo, but lived in Rio de Janeiro unt ...

, released in 1998. Assad sang in both Portuguese and English. The album was an international success.

Production

''Chameleon'' was produced in part by Assad.

Jeff Young Jeffrey "Jeff" Young (born March 31, 1962) is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album '' So Far, So Good... So What! ...

played guitar and

Viviana Guzmán Viviana Guzmán (born August 20, 1964) is a Chilean professional flutist, composer, dancer and poet, who performs over 80 concerts a year, and has played in 122 countries. She has been described by ''The New York Times'' as "an imaginative artist ...

played flute.

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

produced "Waves"; "Ponta de Areia" is a cover of the

Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...

song. ''Chameleon'' also included a cover of

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

's "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While My ...

". Assad used llama hooves as part of a large number of percussive instruments.

Critical reception

The ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' wrote that "the singer-guitarist blends lyricless vocal performances, songs sung in Portuguese and English and her own rich acoustic guitar with tasteful arrangements that incorporate string trios, percussion and didgeridoo." '' The Herald'' thought that the album "isn't entirely consistent but her invention, sensuality and air of mystery should prime an audience for future adventures." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' concluded that "the Brazilian singer/composer/guitarist/vocalist/marimba player blends pop, Flamenco and neo-jazz in a cheerful kaleidoscope of moods that amounts to little more than happy songs and instrumental dexterity despite exotic backing combos and incendiary hype." '' The Evening Post'' panned the album, writing: "A mixture of pop, jazz and Latin sounds, and infused with New Age themes that sound banal, Assad delivers an album that you are likely to hear when next you visit the health food store."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that the "delicate, expressive vocals and flamenco-tinged, acoustic guitar phrases are simply beautiful."

Track listing

References

{{reflist 1998 albums PolyGram albums