For anyone with an interest in Brazilian culture and/or music or who needs an immediate upgrade in their musical life, this book is an absolute must. It will introduce you to a host of some of the planet's best musicians and performers, most unknown north of the Amazon. The rhythms, styles and currents of Brazilian music are as diverse as any place in the world, and "The Brazilian Sound" details the origins and practices of the gamut, from bossa nova and samba, to forro, maracatu, axe, frevo, and pagode, the popular wing of samba. The 2009 edition is the best yet, expanding coverage of the pagode scene (one of my favorites) with great anecdotes and details on the Old Guard singers and modern stars like Zeca Pagodinho, and profiles of the seemingly endless crop of stellar female artists--Joyce, Marisa Monte, Vanessa da Mata, Bebel, Adriana Calcanhotta, Maria Rita. With artist interviews, great lyric excerpts (in English), details on the musical instruments (cuica to surdo to cavaquinho), coverage of all the regional musics and on-scene photos, this labor of love really does have everything you want to know about Brazilian music, which is a lot. I'm a longtime Brazilian music nut who learned a lot from this superb new edition. ( )