In Brazil, most people don't grow up listening to Brazilian artists exclusively -- extensively, yes, but not exclusively. In Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, Brazilian pop is a huge part of the musical diet -- for many, it's the dominant part -- but American and European pop is also quite successful in Brazil, where someone who faithfully buys all of Daniela Mercury's CDs is also likely to be into No Doubt, Christina Aguilera, or Oasis. Assembled in 2003, this Brazilian release is evenly divided between Brazilian and non-Brazilian artists -- and by having an international outlook, the two-CD set underscores the diversity of the Brazilian listening experience. The first disc focuses on Brazilian pop, while the second disc's main focus is non-Brazilian artists. In Portuguese, the word "celebridade" means "celebrity," and disc one often reads like a who's who of Brazilian pop, with selections by heavyweights like Gilberto Gil ("Com Que Roupa"), Gal Costa ("Nossos Momentos"), and Chico Buarque ("Brisa Do Mar"). The influence of American music (jazz as well as rock, funk, and dance-pop) is all over disc one -- Beth Lamas' "Fama" and Lulu Joppert's "Olha Não Me Olha" are basically disco with Portuguese lyrics -- and on the second disc, Celebridade turns its attention to artists from several different countries, including the United States (Ray Charles, Luther Vandross, Michael McDonald), England (Simply Red), and Canada (Diana Krall, Alanis Morissette). English lyrics dominate disc two, although Celebridade's second half detours into Spanish-language pop with Julio Iglesias and Italian pop with Ornella Vanoni (whose "Non Mi Innamoro Più" is an Italian-language version of Burt Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"). In terms of quality, the first disc is the more consistent of the two, but overall, Celebridade is an enjoyable reflection of the various styles of music one is likely to hear in Brazil. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide