Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Axê is the popular sound of Bahian carnival and right now nobody does it better. Sangalo’s take on the genre combines insanely catchy tunes with booty-shaking rhythms and crisp arrangements, all topped by her indomitable vocals.

This double pack contains a CD featuring a selection of her best known tunes alongside a DVD containing a live show that was originally recorded for MTV Brasil and features guest spots from Daniela Mercury, Margareth Menezes and Gilberto Gil. Megahit ‘Sorte Grande’ is present and correct on both discs, complete with its all-conquering hook that drills its way into your conciousness with all the brutal efficiency of a true pop classic.

Visit the new video site for Fly and watch a performance of Ivete Sangalo at Rock in Rio Lisboa 2004

It all comes laced with a whiff of cheese, but then that’s the name of the game. This is straight-ahead, good time party music made for the millions that throng the streets of downtown Salvador during carnival time.

All of which makes Sangalo essentially critic-proof. OK, so at times she reminds me of a brassy cross between Kylie Minogue and Celine Dione — but then it’s as much for her consumate professionalism as for her unrepentantly populist choice of material.

This twinpack successfully captures the appeal of an all-round performer at the peak of her powers, making it the perfect introduction to the force of nature that is Ivete Sangalo.