Gal Costa

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Total Tracks: 12   Total Length: 39:31

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Richard Gehr

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Richard Gehr has been writing about international music -- and many other things -- for more than two decades. After moving to Los Angeles from Portland, OR, vi...more »

11.16.10
A Brazilian vibe with acide rock, big-band jazz and avant-garde electronics
2007 | Label: Universal Latino

Gal Costa's third album is the earlier, only slightly lesser, of her two great 1969 contributions to the golden age of Brazil's boundary-erasing Tropicália movement. Caetano Veloso wrote half the album, including Costa's first hit, "Baby," a spine-tingling blend of bossa nova and early-'60s rock steeped in Godardian imagery. Arranged by Rogério Duprat, who had a unique knack for blending rock and orchestral musicians, the album maintains an unmistakable Brazilian vibe with the "cannibalized" addition of acid rock, punchy big-band jazz, and avant-garde electronics. Veloso's other tunes include the dreamily surreal "Não Identificado" (Unidentified Object) and "Lost in the Paradise," written during his London exile. Costa's voice can leap from the creamiest croon to a cosmic wail, as it does amid the xaxado dance rhythms of "Sebastiana." Veloso and Gilberto Gil's tropicalist raver "Divino Maravilhoso," Tom Zé's funky "Namorinho de Portao" (Namarinho Gate) and Jorge Ben's lissome samba, "Deus o Amor" (God and Love), are a couple of other gems.

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They Say All Music Guide

It is easy to see why Gal Costa is so well-received by the Brazilian masses when she has such delightful recordings as these under her belt. Added period charm lies in the numerous psych effects and fuzz guitars that pepper this release. Costa’s young vocal work is so full and inviting — it can be a bit of a surprise when she rears back and turns out a lackadaisical growl. The album begins with a Caetano Veloso song (“Nao Identificado”) that starts with a whirr of psychedelic effects before launching into a beautifully arranged mid-paced ballad. The strings flutter and aid Costa’s already warm and sensuous vocal work. Certain tracks, like “Sebastiana,” sound like Costa recorded the vocals in the bottom of the well, but this is OK. This track also features Gilberto Gil at the end, engaging Costa in what sounds like some sort of heated, happy exchange. The centerpiece of the album is most certainly “Baby,” written by Veloso (who also jumps in on the vocal duties). Costa’s echoing vocal pours out the melody carefully while the strings glide and swirl along. This song was one of the few chosen for the influential Tropicalia: Panis et Circenses album. Equally marked by fuzz guitar freakouts as it is with dreamy bossa nova, this record is one of the jewels in the crown of Tropicalia, as well as pop music in general. – Jon Pruett

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