Different Directions

— Since early this year, I have been listening to some new Brazilian music with mixed results. A couple of singles — one by Maria Bethânia and the other by Marisa Monte — seem very promising for future releases. I hope we will not have to wait long for full albums by those artists.

Since our last reviews here, there are three new albums I would like to feature in this note. Although I see different directions in a couple of them — Simone‘s lukewarm Da Gente and Mônica Salmaso & Dori Caymmi‘s superb Canto Sedutor — the same cannot be said about João Bosco & Orquestra Ouro Preto’s very pleasing Gênesis.

Joining forces with the Orquestra Ouro Preto, João Bosco (July 13, 1946, Ponte Nova, MG) presents an album where he revisits some of his greatest hits in a lush orchestral environment. The symphonic approach to one of Brazil’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters proves to be quite a hit. Although it is no new direction for Bosco, the end result is very enjoyable. Rodrigo Toffolo conducts the orchestra in this live recording made in September 2021. No better words can define what this album is than what Toffolo himself says about Bosco:

“João Bosco is a one-man orchestra. As a guitarist, he makes melodies float with amazing dexterity, producing highs and lows in notes that multiply, in a very particular rhythm. In other words, João Bosco’s art is perfect”.

What can you expect to hear in Gênesis? The album opens with “Incompatibilidade de Gênios,” one of the first hits of João Bosco & Aldir Blanc‘s vast repertoire. That was one of several hits from the 1976 Galos de Briga album. Also from the same album, we hear a lovely rendition of “O Rancho da Goiabada.” Going back to 1975 and Caça a Raposa, we hear “O Mestre-Sala dos Mares,” made famous by Elis Regina. When it is time to present “Corsário,” the album reaches its highest point. The introduction is taken from Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Then, Bosco reads a Mayakovsky poem (“And Then, What Do You Want?” — I’m not sure that would be the English title, though) that some believe was the inspiration for “Corsário.” Incidentally, Bosco has been prefacing this song performance with that poem since 1989.

There are only two minor issues I have found with this album. Sometimes the lush orchestral arrangements almost overpower Bosco’s inimitable guitar solos and vocals. The other issue is Bosco’s vocal sound. Somehow, his voice is not as clear as in a studio recording. It is as if the microphone was placed in a box not very close to his mouth. The sound quality is muffled in several instances. On the other hand, the music is absolutely the best. “Jade,” “Quando o Amor Acontence,” “O Bêbado e a Equilibrista,” and “Corsário” are just a few of the other impressive tracks in this fine album.

Celebrating her 72nd birthday and 49th year of a successful career, Simone (December 25, 1949, Salvador, BA) released a new studio album. Her previous CD goes back to 2013, É Melhor Ser. Da Gente is a brand new album with twelve tracks drawing mostly from new northeastern songwriters not well known to a general audience. With artistic direction by Zélia Duncan and musical direction by Juliano Holanda, Da Gente may please some of Simone‘s most ardent fans.

The first single that came out of this release was “Haja Terapia” (by Juliano Holanda). That is a song that reflects our present pandemic times. There is a bit of anxiety and tension in lyrics that say that “life is a road with no shoulders” and “the sun shatters the windows in the living room.” The song climaxes with “I’ve been trying to run away from the news of the day. Let there be therapy.” It is a hard opener for an album, and nevertheless, it is one of the best songs in it. “Nua” is a rare song penned by Simone herself along with Tiago Torres da Silva. This beautiful melody plays along with the various types of undressing, whether it is the body or the soul. “Undressing my voice, my singing is fiercer,” the lyrics go in this nice ballad.

Personally, I really wanted to like this album very much. After a nine-year absence with new material from the Cicada (that is how Simone is affectionately nicknamed in Brazil), I craved something to rave about. However, the overall tone in Da Gente is somber and nearly too introspect. There is really nothing wrong with those emotions, but Da Gente does not keep me engaged. Even with the lively “Você Distante” (by Isabela Moraes) and “Boca em Brasa” (by Zélia Duncan and Juliano Holanda) to pick things up, the direction the album goes does not keep me interested in it.

Swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum, on the last week in May I was reminded of that famous Artistotle’s phrase that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I am referring to Canto Sedutor, the brand new album by Mônica Salmaso (February 27, 1971, São Paulo, SP) and Dori Caymmi (August 26, 1943, Rio de Janeiro, RJ). Although the title can be thought of as “seductive corner,” I believe the album name refers to seductive singing in this case. That is precisely what the marriage of Salmaso’s and Caymmi’s voices creates. Canto Sedutor is pure seduction and beauty.

All fourteen tracks in the album are by Dori Caymmi and Paulo César Pinheiro. The partnership between Caymmi and Pinheiro has given us a world of beautiful melodies in over 50 years of their collaboration. Caymmi himself has recorded four albums just with their music: Inner World (2009) (in Brazil it was released as Mundo de Dentro in 2010), Poesia Musicada (2011), Setenta Anos (2014), and Voz de Mágoa (2017). Classics such as “Velho Piano” and “Desenredo” are included in Canto Sedutor. The title track is a brand new composition by Caymmi and Pinheiro, as are “Raça Morena” and “A Água do Rio Doce.”

As for Salmaso, since her 1995 Afro-Sambas with Paulo Bellinati and her first solo CD Trampolim in 1998, she has never stopped making hits. Whether recording with the Orquestra Popular de Câmera, André Mehmari, or Edu Lobo, her performances always captivate with her soaring vocals.

Besides the songs I already mentioned above, all tracks feature both singers with the exception of Salmaso’s solo appearances in “Vereda,” “Estrela da Terra,” and “História Antiga.” Although all vocals are stunningly beautiful, the results are compounded beyond my expectations when I hear both voices sharing the spotlight. The different tonality in their voices is magical.

Both artists shared their views about Canto Sedutor. Salmaso said “The Brazil that is in Dori’s music is what moves me. It is Brazil that, at this moment, is more broken and that, for the same reason, it is imperative to sing it and reaffirm it.” As for Caymmi, he states the album is “an extremely Brazilian record. It is this Brazil that comes from the tradition of a popular music of our country. Not really popular music, but Brazilian music. That comes from the generation of Ary, Noel, Pixinguinha, who comes from Chiquinha Gonzaga, who comes from so many people. It is the Brazil I always thought of and I will die thinking about it.” Produced by Teco Cardoso with arrangements by Dori Caymmi, Canto Sedutor will shine for years to come.