Various – Ginga: The Sound of Brazilian Football

Thanks to George Burley, we need another team to cheer on in this World Cup; that they must be good at football is a given, but if the country of choice has as its national sound some of the smiliest, sunniest, sexiest music on earth, so much the better. Providing they traverse a tricky group stage, Brazil is the obvious choice, with a culture where partying, dancing, music and the beautiful game melt into a big tropical salsa.

Ginga is a compilation from the estimable Mr Bongo label of old and new numbers inspired by Brazil’s infatuation with stylish, hip-swaying soccer. There’s the inevitable Mas Que Nada (Tamba!’s 1963 cover, rather than the better-known Sergio Mendes version), but the rest are a well-chosen 23 tracks of batucada, samba, mambo and bossa nova that will add a splash of riotous colour to any wistful Scottish summer day. A shameless cash-in, but when the music’s this vibrant, who cares? [Euan Ferguson]