Before Anitta became the “Queen of Brazilian Pop,” she was a choir girl from a favela, surrounded by raucous baile funk parties playing funk carioca. Combining elements of hip-hop, samba, rave, bossa nova, and traditional African music, it’s a melting pot of sounds closely associated with Brazil’s working-class communities and bombastic DIY street parties, which Anitta captures on her sixth studio album, Funk Generation. As a Top 40 twist on the genre, there will naturally be clubby songs like “Funk Rave,” which gloss over the genre’s grimier elements in favor of big-tent EDM and reggaeton. But for the most part, Anitta does a surprisingly good job at balancing catchy pop hooks with the grittiness of funk carioca on songs like “Double Team” and “Joga Pra Lua.” And it’s this measured use of Miami bass loops, samba-like percussion, and the occasional guest rapper that keeps Funk Generation from feeling less like candy-coated carioca, and more like the Latin Grammy-nominated superstar’s genuine desire to finally return home. — Sandra Song
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