Complete with racy cover art, A Great Noise is, so far, Marisa Monte's best record. Featuring seven new studio tracks and 11 live recordings, this is a dizzying collection of material, from the seductive funk-pop and roll of Gilberto Gil's ebullient "Cérebro Electrônico" to an earnest, and surprisingly affecting, rendition of George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)." Arto Lindsay is once again producing (with Monte listed as co-producer), and the results are extraordinary -- Monte has rarely sounded better or more self-assured. Of special merit is "Blanco," a moody Octavio Paz poem set to music. Clearly, this is the Marisa Monte record to own if you only want one. Then again, after hearing this, you'll undoubtedly want to hear the rest of her output.