One wonders how to characterise this album. It is, on the hand, unmistakebly Brazillian, the child of a generation of great bossa nova and samba music, as well as pulling a lot of influence from his other Brazillian contemporaries, like Jorge Ben. On the other hand, it mixes elements of American soul, funk, and psychadelia. I would even go as far to say it often sounds like a film soundtrack, owing to its suprisingly populated orchestral arrangements, of which no voice or instrument ever sounds out of place, or ever gets in the way of it’s breezy, sunny afternoon confidence. In this regard, it’s closest sonic predecessor is David Axelrod’s Songs of Innoncence/Experience. Regardless, these combinations of qualities make it’s sound utterly timeless.
Probably it’s only fault is that it is too short, clocking in at a mere 29 minutes. However, this does make it an excellent album to listen to, all the way through, multiple times, which you can easily do without getting the least bit sick of it. In fact, doing so is especially rewarding as each time you begin to better appreciate not only the intricate grooves but also the sheer number of synchronous elements coming together to produce the sounds you are hearing. It also means there is virtually no filler, every song is great.
An interesting biographical tidbit about Arthur Verocai is that after releasing this album in 1972, he didn’t release any of his own music for another 30 years, mostly owing to its commercial failure in Brazil at the time. This meant the record was almost impossible to find until it was finally reissued as a CD in 2003, due to it gaining a cult following. I can only imagine how much of a event it would have been to get the oppurtunity to even listen once to an old beat LP of this thing during those years. It is times like these where I can never be more thankful for the internet and for the artistic encounters it affords us, even if some of those encounters are not as much of an event as they might otherwise have been.
- Rowan
Recommended Songs: Presente Grego, Dedicada a Ela, Na Boca Do Sol,
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