Brazilian rhythms and a pop star named Zilberstein

Pop Art, the handlers behind Roni "Superstar" Duani, has invested in a new young face to keep the company's dance music flying off record shelves.

By VIVA SARAH PRESS
zilberstein disk 88 298 (photo credit: )
zilberstein disk 88 298
(photo credit: )
DANIEL ZILBERSTEIN Ma She'at Oseh Li (Pop Art/Helicon) The New Year's parties may be over, but Pop Art and Helicon hope music fans will continue to boogie throughout 2007 with their latest collaboration. Pop Art, the handlers behind Roni "Superstar" Duani, has invested in a new young face to keep the company's dance music flying off record shelves. Daniel Zilberstein, a 20-year-old from Ra'anana, is the company's new face, and clearly wasn't hired just for his vocal talents. With the looks of a model - he shows off 12 poses on the album jacket - and dance moves to match, Zilberstein is hoping his debut album will succeed the way Roni's The World Outside My Door did back in 2004. Good producers can always cover a so-so vocalist with great beats, and once again, Pop Art (a Helicon subsidiary) has invested in foreign talent to create the new album's intended hits. Scandinavian producer George Samuelson led an international team of musicians and producers for Ma She'at Oseh Li (What You Do to Me), with the team coming up with nine of the 10 songs included here. Zilberstein's sound is a bit different from that of his female counterpart - he's been given a pop, dance and R & B hum with a splash of hip hop undertones. The album's first single "Elayich" (being translated as "Want Ya") climbed the playlists quickly after its release last year, with "Zman" (translated as "The Way I Do My Thing") not far behind. Zilberstein, to his credit, pitched in with lyrics to eight of the tracks, though the results tend to sound hollow and contrived. Nevertheless, local teeny boppers are sure to go ga-ga over Zilberstein's album, and a couple of the tracks seem ready to burn up the country's dance floors. As a whole, however, this album isn't likely to set off the new pop craze for which it was intended. ELISETE World Electro - Remixes (Self-release) Also keeping the boogie going is Israeli-Brazilian musician Elisete Retter. After two successful albums (Luar e Cafe and Gaagua), Elisete has returned with a new album of remixes. World Electro includes old and new songs in Portuguese and Hebrew, the tracks a mix of electronic music and Bossa Nova, samba, forro, baiao and other Brazilian rhythms. The addition of the electronic rhythms is a good one, giving the tracks an even more energetic groove. Elisete worked with a variety of music producers and deejays on this remix album, and her signature optimism continues to filter through, bringing the average Israeli listener the cheerful spirit of Brazil.