Chris Martin
New Member
This was based on a first, cursory listen-through, when the deplorable "Funky Bahia" was recurring with alarming frequency on my MP3 player. I shall now retract, shamelessly, most of my initial rant.
The Look of Love/Agua de Beber: I remain as relatively unimpressed with this batch of Brasil '66 re-workings as I was with the Timeless selections. Fine as far as they go but who needs it? I am, I admit committed to the extent of entrenchment, to the originals. I have always and always will hanker after the 2-girl-led combo that follows through to 2, 3, 4 albums but what are the odds of that happening again?
Waters of March/Les Eaux de Mars: Just as the samba percussion on this album was beginning to sound a wee bit synthesized (it isn't, is it?) along came these corkers. I think Sergio was right to go this way with the song, the B77/B88 versions being so bizarrely similar! Gorgeous!
Dreamer/Somewhere in the Hills: All good voices must come to an end and while Lani's creamy timbre still charms me a lot, the vibrato is dilated now, not a' la Liza "you can park your Mak truck in my vibrato" Minnelli, but compromised. I've never been an admirer of N. Cole. I agree with the poster who pointed out the benefits of double-tracking lani's vocal. Nice but pedestrian.
Odo-Ya, Morning in Rio, Y Vamos La, Acode: Among these are songs I found "chanty...jejune" on first impact but they've all seduced me completely since. At best there's a tight-but-loose, driven, funky vibe reminiscent of the best bits of Vintage 74 (Voce Abussou, Marinhero So).
Funky Bahia: The most horrific piece of drivel Sergio has ever recorded -- and God forbid this should be anyone's first introduction ti the great man. The cheap, horrible lyrics which would make Lionel Richie's toes curl (kind of even-worse "dancing on the ceiling"), this opprobrium belongs on the Magic Lady edit-room floor. It's like a pastiche of something too horrible to be pastiched.
Catavento: Musical and vocal perfection. This melody is so quintessentially Brazilian it makes me grin with pure joy. Gracinha's voice is truly a blessing. A towering favourite of mine.
Lugar Comum: I lived in Milan for many years and would see Jovanotti about and, believe me, he's as hot as he sounds. It took me a while to take blue-eyed Italian rap seriously but Jovanotti is highly lyrical. the Italian lyrics follow the Portuguese back-chant as closely as possibleand Jovanotti is at his exuberant best here.
In the final analysis, I love this album now, and Sergio's playing is hot all through. IMHO his best outing since Brasil '88!
