Mad About Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Renata Lu is a bit of an enigma. She made a couple of much loved albums in the 1970s and did some backing vocal work on cult records by stars such as Tim Maia and Nonato Buzar. Despite this, she never became a standalone star in the world of MPB and so remains a little known figure. Her self titled 1971 debut album on Copacabana Records was a heavyweight mix US soul and funk with spicy Latin percussion, all dropped over samba and boogaloo beats. It is high energy, with lots of big horns, electric piano riffs and angular bass as well as some swooning strings. This deluxe edition marks a real landmark in the world of funk carioca.

Review: Singer, pianist and composer Leila Pinheiro was one of the most eminent fixtures of the Brazilian MPB movement, and this reissue of her self-titled debut album from 1983 cements that legacy. Just 23 years old at the time of its release, Pinheiro's springboard to fame comes an expansive array of idyllic compositions, just as idyllic as the muted woodland hippie scene portrayed on its front cover. Soaring flute accompaniments and cinematic progressions push the album far beyond the usual gamut for MPB, and it's all brought together by Pinheiro's voice, which is as lackadaisical as it is wide-sounding; it veritably drips with emotion. The rarity of the original pressing might go some way prove its popular inclusion in lists of the most important albums in the genre, but we hope this Mad About reissue eschews that explanation for its blissful sound alone.

Review: Originally pressed in 1979, 'Um Grito de Guerra' is an Amazonian hidden gem made for a production of the same name. The record invites you to enter Pedrinho's ship and embark on a series of sounds that encompass Amazonas jazz harmonies, groovy guitars, funky swing, and progressive keyboard attacks. The presentation focused on a few points, but the primary focus was rescuing the Amazonian identity and protecting the environment against Transamazonica. It's beautiful and nostalgic, sounding like the credits song for a classic sitcom, yet there's a fresh breeziness to it that can only be put down to Pedrinho's prowess on the ivory.