“For now let us ever so gently take you by the hand to guide you into the faraway dreamland that Ms Braga cocoons herself within, a world teased in a childlike surreal innocence, both spectral and minimalist, populated by a playful alchemy whose somewhat casual absent mindedness charms and chimes with a crooked and kooky allure. Reference wise, Ms Braga shares a kinship with the Space Lady, both operating in a sparse pop purist medium that draws its lineage back to Silver Apples (…).” (The Sunday Experience)

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she would sit on fences, explores the neighbourhood gardens at night, walks around on top of rooftops while spontaneously doing instant gigs. Wherever she goes she spreads out her furry vibes with a feline attitude that also feels as if she is the real life cartoon character of fantasies, one that had decided to step out of a comic book to bring joyful colours to the greyness of everyday life.” (Yeah I Know It Sucks)

“Years ago on the old time radio show Dimension X I heard an adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s story The Green Hills of Earth, about a man called Rhysling, singer of the spaceways, a folk singer who accompanied the first travelers into outer space. Rita brings this idea to life, maybe the first time ever, with a set of 14 songs in nearly half a dozen Earth languages that explore the wonders of the cosmos, while never losing perspective on the importance of human love. A ukulele, synthesizer and few other instruments are all she needs to charm her listeners.” (Ragazine)

“After DJ Lee was done randomly popping on some outsider music, it was time for the headliner to do her thing. This was Rita Braga, who not only shined in her glitter dress as she enthusiastically played and sang her wonderful multilingual songs, she also entirely lifted the spirit of everyone by creating a wonderful atmosphere of intriguing happiness. For the people in Southend who never had travelled before, this part of the night must have been like a exotic vacation, as the artist easily performed songs that took you to places that probably only flying birds would be able to attend all in their life time.” (Yeah I Know It Sucks)

“Accompanying herself on ukulele, harp, cheap analog synths, and rhythm machines, Rita’s minimal compositions provide a weird peek inside her mind and her love of old cartoons and movies. (…) Rita’s songs do provide a change of pace to the sonic barrage of today’s musicians.” (Exposé Online)

“On ne se refait pas, dès que l’on écoute un nouveau disque, nous cherchons la filiation, la zone de confort dans laquelle l’artiste a certainement posé sa valise (le premier qui me dit carton se prend deux claques de ma part et de celle de Rita). Chez Rita Braga il va être difficile, l’artiste serait un électron tellement libre qu’il échapperait à des radars qui croiseraient leurs données. Rita aurait eu comme lieu de prédilection les caves d’une electro séminale et débarrassée de la vacuité contemporaine, la cuisine d’une Brigitte Fontaine d’avant la Zoo Tv, la salle de sport de Philippe Katerine de l’époque de Jeannie Longo et les endroits décalés fréquentés par la standardiste du bureau du shérif de Twin Peaks et de son policier de mari. Passant de l’allemand au français en passant par le portugais sans que cela face sonner l’alerte moderne des gardiens des frontières, Rita Braga nous propose des chansons vignettes, avançant à son rythme (c’est-à-dire lent) nous contant des histoires dont la banalité supposée cache de toute évidence une forme de perversité pouvant par exemple nous hypnotiser au point de nous vêtir comme elle (l’effet au bureau pourrait être détonnant). Un oiseau sur la Lune, une araignée au plafond, la démarche féline, le déguingondé d’une girafe, Rita Braga est un bestiaire foutraque,qui à l’image de sa garde-robe, fait dans la couleur et le patchwork, cachant mal une sensibilité à fleur de peau drapée sous une folie douce. Vive Rita.” (À découvrir absolument)

“Elle a pour nom Rita Braga, et une fois de plus on est sous charme. Cette jeune portugaise compose une musique synth pop lo-fi artisanale qui donne la banane. Avec le son cheap d’un synthé d’occasion et quelques accords de ukulélé, Rita Braga chante comme une grande. Sa musique possède une touche mélancolique et enfantine, parfois comptine. Quelque part entre Telex, Kraftwerk, YMO, Charlie O., Mikado, Stereolab, Karl Biscuit, Residents, Julee Cruise et Sonoko, le petit monde sonore de Rita Braga est une boite à jouets prête à s’ouvrir dans un cirque ambulant ou une BO d’un jeu vidéo vintage. Ce deuxième album comporte 14 morceaux. Les textes sont chantés en portugais, anglais, allemand, français. Parmi les surprises, Ian Svenonius (The Nation Of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Chain On The Gang, Escape ISM, XYZ) est venu poser sa voix à la Alan Vega sur Church Bite, le musicien de thérémine Dorit Chrysler et la chanteuse berlinoise Mary Ocher sont également venue donner un coup de main. Au final, le petit monde coloré de Rita Braga s’écoute les yeux grands ouverts devant un livre d’images et les oreilles en éveil attentif aux petites bulles pop taillées à la racine du coquelicot, pour ne garder que l’essentiel. Oui, juste l’essentiel. Et mention spécial à la reprise Upa Upa de Carmen Miranda (de 1945 !) ici en version lo-fi DIY qui ne nous quitte plus.” (Froutraque)

“Não seria difícil fazer-nos acreditar que foi mesmo com recurso a maquinaria de ficção científica que Rita Braga chegou a terras brasileiras. A suspensão da descrença faz parte da magia da sua música.” (Mário Lopes – Ípsilon)

“I’ll just say that Rita Braga ‘Erosão’ is simply breathless, beautiful frosted chimes, it offers a dream dazed slice of wood crafted folk enchantment trading in a noir traced 60’s shimmering, think Mary Hopkins meets Serafina Steer and you’ll be as near to close as you can be.” (The Sunday Experience)

“De cette scène [portugaise], le mundillo rock bordelais connait au moins Rita Braga, fragile chanteuse dont la voix rappelle vaguement celle de Jane Birkin et dont l’horizon musical va du psychédélisme avec synthétiseurs jusqu’à des ballades façon jazz des années 20-30 avec ukulélé.” (Sud Ouest)

“É desconcertante a sinceridade com que Rita Braga se entrega a Gringo In São Paulo. A completa ausência de pretensiosismo é chocante para aqueles de nós que tendem a levar a música como algo “sério”. Não que a artista não leve a música a sério, mas a diversão palpável na forma como canta temas como a faixa homónima ou “Tralalala” esbate a linha que separa diversão e trabalho. E isso maravilha e causa ligeira inveja.” (Arte-Factos.net)

“Rita Braga fait des concerts très forts avec toute sa fragilité.  Elle souffle des airs adorables entre vos oreilles, comme la mignone brise de la fin d’après-midi avant le rafraîchissement. Elle aides Nestis à faire couler entre vos yeux des larmes…. Mais de joie. Rita Braga est une bonne nouvelle de chaque instant.” (David Chazam – musician and promoter from Brussels)

 “All way from Lisbon, Portugal comes Rita Braga. This charming and beautiful ukulele queen with a voice of velvet plays a brilliant mishmash of sound. Combining Julee Cruise esque Lounge with a strange mix of folk ranging from Serbian, Hawaiian, and Appalachian Mountain music, Rita Braga’s sound is truly unique and refreshing.” (Chris Carlone, musician and promoter from NYC)

“Rita’s career is a mishmash of everything – field recordings, analogue sounds, self-published material, internet radio, pirate webcasts, low-fi and soundcloud, home tapes of her singing over the sound of old records and broken old radios. Throughout she has been changing identities, leaving them behind like old clothes. She has collaborated with numerous musicians (such as Presidente Drogado), and forms bands in a jiffy. Original posters for her shows are usually made by well known graphic artists. She even claims that cartoon characters appear in her dreams, and give her career advice.” (Vreme magazine, Serbia)

“Cherries that went to the police”, Rita Braga – uma cantora portuguesa… quase com certeza, uma vez que Rita Braga canta na sua (nossa) língua nativa, mas também em inglês, russo, grego… Topei com este álbum sem querer numa recente viagem a Portugal. Não conhecia Rita e achei curioso um disco de uma cantora de lá tão poliglota. “Cherries” é uma surpresa deliciosa a cada faixa: músicas com um “ar de antigamente”, mas com uma vitalidade que não poderia ser mais do “agora”. Sem medo de encarar um repertório nada convencional, Rita foi para mim uma das melhores revelações de 2011.” (Zeca Camargo – Globo G1, Brasil)

“O inglês para impressionar não passa por aqui. Nas ruas de Filadélfia, LA, Buenos Aires, Gent e Lisboa nasceu esta bela coleção de quadros impressionistas de um espírito singular “vigiado” por Bernardo Devlin. Que busca o seu lugar no mundo entre a instrospeção e o absurdo, a melancolia e a aventura e a tradição e a modernidade numa deriva existencial que – com a devida distância – evoca Tom Waits.” (Ricardo Saló – Jornal Expresso, Portugal)

“Vai do folclore polaco ao vaudeville, de Angelo Badalamenti a Adriano Correia de Oliveira, passando por Ennio Morricone. Invariável é a estranheza dos arranjos, a meio caminho entre a loja de brinquedos e a sucata, que servem de sustento às fantasias retro desta menina actriz. Cherries That Went To The Police é o album de estreia de Rita Braga e uma belíssima excursão num universo de clichés nostálgicos, deliciosamente aldrabados.” (Vogue Portugal)

“Cherries That Went To The Police: soberba música do mundo, com as raízes aqui e as asas por toda a parte.” (Nuno Rogeiro – Revista Sábado, Portugal)

“O que torna “Cherries The Went To The Police” um objecto fascinante, porém, não é apenas a capacidade de Rita Braga, armada de ukulele e acompanhada pelo “swingante” Nik Phelps no clarinete ou pelo pó desértico da Chris Carlone Orchestra, criar um universo coerente, evocativo de imagens no limite do cinematográfico, destes sons de origem diversa. Este é um álbum de amor por toda esta música, tocado com evidente prazer, mas que recusa enclausurá-lo nas suas formas originais. “Cherries That Went To The Police” não é um álbum tradicional, é a corporização do rico imaginário de Rita Braga, repleto de deliciosos e inventivos pauzinhos na engrenagem: a rebetika grega em órgão com sabor a fantasmagoria circense ou o baixo eléctrico de Rui Dâmaso em “Katyusha” são disso dois óptimos exemplos. São eles (os “paus na engrenagem”, a voz de Rita Braga, a capacidade de nos arrastar na sua fantasia) que tornam “Cherries That Went To The Police” um álbum absurdamente cativante.” (Mário Lopes – Ípsilon, Portugal)

… and a review in Japanese (written by Masashiro Nimi, of Give Me Little More). You may use your favourite automatic translator 🙂

ポルトガル・リスボン発、ミュージカル映画と不気味なSF映画の間で鳴る
レトロポップを歌うシンガー”Rita Braga”が登場！！

ポルトガル発、ウクレレ、アナログシンセサイザー他、様々な楽器を操りレトロフィーリングのポップソングを生み出すシンガー”Rita Braga”がギブミーに登場！

”Rita Braga”は、リスボン発、現在はロンドンをベースに活動するシンガー/パフォーマー/コンポーザー。バックス・バニーのようなカートゥーンアニメ、デヴィッド・リンチやロマン・ポランスキー、ビリー・ワイルダーなどの映画、映像、また自身の夢からインスパイアされ楽曲を生み出しているとう彼女。口頭伝承された古い民謡や50’sミュージカル映画の挿入歌のような響きをもったレトロなメロディを少女の可憐さで歌ったかと思えば、録音作品では古いSF映画のサウンドトラックやThe Space Ladyの世界観にも通じる70年代初頭のミニマル・シンセ・ウェーブと哀愁のレトロポップを見事にマッチングさせた禍々しいサウンドをバックに、近未来のキャバレークイーンのような妖気を漂わせ歌い上げます。彼女の音楽のカレイドスコープへ迷い込むと、近未来と過去が支離滅裂に入り混じりつつ、ユーモラスたっぷりな超現実主義の夢を見ているような心地に陥ります。Ian Svenonius（Make Up!/Chain and the gang）、Mary Ocherなど様々な音楽家とのコラボレーションも行い、パフォーマーとしても経験豊富、ヨーロッパだけに収まらず、アメリカ、ブラジル、オーストラリアなどの数々のクラブや劇場、ギャラリーやフェスティバルで演奏。ライブではメイン楽器をウクレレに、まるで女優のような佇まいで磨き上げたパフォーマンスを披露します！軽快なステップで、過去から未来、月から土星へと軽々飛び越えていく彼女の歌は、Les Rita Mitsoukoなどのフレンチ・ニューウェイブ・ポップのファン、Julee Cruise、Twin Peaksのサウンドトラックのファンなどのコアな音楽好きから〜古いジャズ、シャンソン、アコースティックポップ、ミュージカル映画の雰囲気に親しみを覚える方は漏れなく彼女の世界に魅了されること間違いなし！