Over the past year, Michael Sembello penned three songs with Michael Lington on his album "Heat" which was released to strong reviews and nominated as Jazztrax Album of the Year for 2008. They include the up-tempo and summery Ocean Drive (think: South Beach fun in the sun), hauntingly beautiful ballad Nostalgia; and breezy, Brazilian flavored Chuva, meaning ‘rain’ in Portuguese. 

Michael Sembello travels to Brazil frequently and is good friends with Daniel Jobim, the grandson of legendary composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Who in the 1950’s combined Brazilian music with Jazz and Classical creating the traditional Bossa Nova sound. Chuva’s composition began on the vintage piano where the elder Jobim composed his classic, "The Girl From Ipanema".

Within the next few months, Michael will begin touring live throughout the United States and Japan. In mid 2009, EMI is scheduled to release “Bossa Nova Hotel” in Japan. This remarkable work is a fusion of Brazilian, Bossa Nova and Samba blended with R&B Soul. Today, as always, you can always expect magic from Michael Sembello as he has introduced a brilliant and inspiring genre of music called “Bossa-Soul”. 

Michael Sembello is considered to be among the elite group of musicians comprising the West Coast Blue Eyed Soul sound.