Azymuth celebrate their 30th anniversary with plenty of laid-back South American grooves, as the album’s title implies. It’s silkier and sexier than most things that fall under the “smooth jazz” banner, but then again, there’s a fine line between globally-oriented dance music, Latin jazz-funk fusion and leisure suit lounge material. Most often, these paths cross under the heading of downtempo, but on Brazilian Soul, Azymuth proves as adept at raising the pulse with fever-inducing dancefloor workouts as they are at mellowing out the mood to tropical chill status. Guest appearances by Fabiola, Ze Carlos, Emilio Santiago and a hint of vocodeized vocals add contemporary appeal–not that this classic Brazilian trio needed it.