Sound Tracks: Brazilian Samba

Every trip should have a soundtrack, so we've asked CJ Fahey with Nat Geo Music to select artists from their catalog whose songs will inspire you to get going.

I have a ready answer whenever someone asks me the quintessential travel question, "What's your dream vacation?" - Brazil! My attraction to Brazil started with the music, but the added bonus of beautiful beaches, small bathing suits, and cultural diversity - African, European, and indigenous American influences mixed together - sealed the deal.

Thanks to films like City of God, people outside Brazil have become more aware of the difficulties plaguing the country - poverty, corruption, and violence. But the stereotype of a vibrant tropical paradise still thrives and, from what I hear, is not undeserved.

The music video to "Rio de Janeiro" by samba legend Elza Soares glosses over the harsh realities and shows Brazil at its best: funky, sexy, and sunny. The singer's life and career is a story unto itself: married at 12, she lost three children to hunger, but later married one of Brazil's greatest soccer legends, Garrincha. Her career had ups and downs, having peaked in the 1960s, but this video comes from her 2004 album "Vivo Feliz," part of her late-in-life comeback.

One day I will make it to Brazil, but until then I'll content myself with some of the amazing music the country has produced.

[Video: Elza Soares--"Rio de Janeiro"]

Learn more: Find more Nat Geo music from Brazil here. And check out these other recommended Brazilian music videos from Nat Geo Music: