No, there was no identity crisis with Arranco de Varsóvia. The group's first album in 1997, Quem É de Sambar, was an unforgettable debut album quickly followed with Samba de Cartola in 1998 -- but with the name shortened to Arranco simply. Seven long years later, with the brand new Na Cadência do Samba, the group reverted back to its original name. The original formation was Paulo Malaguti, Muri Costa, Eveline Hecker and Rita Peixoto. Those two releases were a good indication of how good the group is. Both albums got nominated to a Sharp Award in Brazil for best samba albums. Just as the name changed, so did the group's formation. Soraya Ravenle was also once a member of it. In this third album, the present formation features Muri Costa, Andréa Dutra, Elisa Queirós, Paulo Malaguti and Cacala Carvalho.

Throughout the years, no matter what name and formation Arranco de Varsóvia had, one thing never changed. The group consistently made excellent samba albums. The vocal harmonies and arrangements are sometimes reminiscent of Anjos do Inferno or Bando da Lua. Arranco de Varsóvia definitely fills a void with its classy and spirited samba renditions.

Na Cadência do Samba packs excitement. Not only is this the first Arranco album in seven years, but the album also has the distinguished honor of presenting two brand new Dorival Caymmi songs (Caymmi turned 91 years old on April 30, 2005). That feat alone would have been enough to make this a magnificent album. Nevertheless, Arranco did not rest on that accomplishment. They also recorded sambas by Dona Ivone Lara, such as "Força da Imaginação," and others by great samba composers including Arlindo Cruz, Jorge Aragão and Zeca Pagodinho. There is also a nice rendition of Pixinguinha and Benedito Lacerda's "1x0 (Um a Zero)," with the group's vocal prowess put to test singing some of those fast verses. The arrangement starts slowly, but in the final verses, the tempo picks up astonishingly. Lively arrangements abound from the first to the last track. The two Dorival Caymmi songs are the icing on a most tasteful cake! The first, "Falou com a Moça," will definitely give you chills and thrills. It is almost like hearing Carmen Miranda doing that song. That samba is pure joy in Arranco's majestic rendition. The other Caymmi song, "E o Que Me Importa Se Eu Tiro o Domingo Pra Sambar?," treats the listener to Caymmi himself singing in the introduction. Honestly, it is hard to top that! Well, leave it to Arranco to surprise us one more time before closing the album. "Sai Dessa" features A Parede (from Pedro Luís e a Parede) in the percussion ensemble. A powerful ending to a superb album -- again!

Na Cadência do Samba brought back the wonderful ensemble that Arranco de Varsóvia is. Let us hope that they will not wait another 7 years to give us more great music.

You can hear samples of Na Cadência do Samba here.

E.L.