Vanessa da Mata, as her names suggests (in Portuguese 'da mata' means 'from the forest') is a force of nature.  She was born in Alto Garças, a small town in the central part of Brazil.  This 32 year old singer and composer cannot play all the instruments, but she has an overt musicality.  She gathers more than 250 compositions in book notes and tapes which she always carries in her purse.  Before her debut album brought her name inot the spotlight, many artists recorded some of her songs.  One of them Chico Cesar pushed for making her compositions more famous in Brazil.

Her latest release, "Sim" has a wonderful blend of music and for this week's pick of the week, "Boa Sorte / Good Luck" Vanessa teams up with the genius of Ben Harper.  Even if you don't speak a word of Portuguese her voice will bring you in and make you feel so good, by the time Ben Harper joins in you are hooked.