Customer Reviews

Pieta

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I heard this album on a flight from Miami to Sao Paulo (TAM Airlines), not knowing who the artists were or when it was produced. Totally captivated by its musical breadth and beauty, I never changed the audio channel and let it cycle over and over until I landed 6 hours later. Some of the songs are still in my head. One need not know Portuguese to understand the emotion and feeling in these songs; the artists' voices alone will carry you along. That someone like Nascimento, who has been making music for so long, could come up with something so fresh is truly amazing; and his artistic companions on this disc were perfectly chosen.

I've read all of the reviews of "Pieta", both the original import and this "released for America" c.d. Everyone who has heard and reviewed this so far says "5 stars." I concur.

It helps when you really look forward to hearing an album. In the 1970's, one of my favorite albums was the great Wayne Shorter's "Native Dancer," with Milton Nascimento. This was Mr. Nascimento's first introduction to most American ears, and Mr. Shorter professed in his liner notes there that he had thought "everybody" had heard him. Well, no. But after listening to the unforgettable "Ponte de Areia", "Tarde", and "Lelia", tunes that have stuck in my memory bank nearly 30 years after, I thought that everybody should.

This is the first Milton Nascimento I've heard since then, and I must say, he's every bit the artist now that he was then. His is a baritone range with a peerless expression; and outside of Bobby McFerrin, perhaps, he has the strongest falsetto of any popular singer in the world.

The title track, "Pieta" (track 12) is every bit as unforgettable as the above 3 from "Native Dancer." Almost that terrific is track 3, "Beleza e Cancao". The rest is solid; not a weak track on this disc.

One wise thing Mr. Nascimento does here is he features himself with some terrific female singers: Marina Machado, Simone Guimaraes, Maria Rita Mariano, and on four cuts, a small chorus. They all sound heavenly, and rather than cover him, they truly augment the master.

One quibble, though this is with Tom Capone, the producer: Most of the liner notes from the import consisted of the Portuguese words of these original songs, primarily written by Chico Amaral or Mr. Nascimento. Those continue over into the American release, but with no English translations of the songs. Granted, Mr. Nascimento's singing is so expressive that you can get the emotion of what he's singing about; but I think I could appreciate this c.d. even more if I had a translation.

Not enough of a quibble to knock off a star, though. In spite of everybody who says this is a 5-star album, this is, in fact, a 5-star album. RC

I just bought this album on a recent trip to Brazil and got hooked from the beginning. I was amazed at the outstanding musicianship, talent and versatility of Milton. If you liked the Clube da Esquina albums (I have all Milton albums) , you are in for a treat with this one because some songs will remind you of those albums.
For the jazz lovers, you will enjoy an incredible jam session arrangement of the Herbie Hancock tune "Cantaloupe island" performed by Milton (voice), Pat Metheny (acoustic guitar) and Herbie Hancock on piano. The solos are incredible and I like especially how Milton uses his falsettos as another instrument that merges beautifully with Pat's guitar and Herbie's piano.
Additionally, on some tunes Milton sings alongside with other female singers, one of them being the daughter of one of the singer legends of Brazil; the late Elis Regina.
I recommend these album to everyone that enjoys Brazilian music. Even if you are not familiar with Milton Nascimento's music, you'll like this album.

This is a mesmerizing journey into Milton's World: a world like no other, with music so idiomatic that no one else could do it or attempt to do it. Milton is a "World Music Treasure" unto himself (sorry, Brasil, he belongs to all of us) and, four decades into his career, he continues to produce fresh, beautiful music that excites, fascinates, and invigorates the mind. The music on this CD is almost visually aural in it's intensity: one can almost see it floating, undulating, and spinning in front of us, defying capture.

Milton performs alone and with three awesome female vocal guests. The Grammy winning daughter of Elis Regina, the stunning Maria Rita; the brilliant "Santa Rosa songbird" Simone Guimaraes; and the wonderous Marina Machado. Trust me, they more than hold their own with Milton, which is probably why he invited them to sing with him. Indeed the haunting duet with Maria Rita on "Tristesse" won a Latin Grammy in 2003. The title song, "Pieta" is fantastic with Milton spinning unusual key changes amid the insistent martial beat. Marina Machado's anguished middle-eastern flavored cries on "Pieta" are so poignant it almost transports us back in time. The pulsating starkness of "Boa Noite" is off set by Simone's beautiful voice, trading verses with Milton before joining him in unison and scatting on the arc of her voice to the end. The very beautiful "Vozes Do Vento" (Voices of the Wind) concludes with all three female guests singing with much gusto with Milton, amid double stops above the percussion and chorus. And Milton on ANY ballad on this CD is worth the price of admission alone. Don't forget to check out Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny with Milton on "Canteloupe Island", it's very cool.

There is so much fresh, beautiful, and varied music on this CD, it will take a while to digest the whole thing. If you have never heard Milton Nascimento, this would be a great place to start. It's all in Portuguese but the words are almost besides the point. This is a one way ticket into Milton's world and it's awesome. Get this one fast. It's hot. Five Big Stars!!

Recent Milton CDs have been plagued by weak songwriting and/or mushy/slick arrangements (both Crooner and his duet CD with Gilberto Gil are particularly weak). But this collection has no serious weak spots. The two songs he wrote alone are near his best level of writing, and he's wisely chosen to use others' songs--and two strong guest female vocalists--to make a fully satisfying CD.

Five HUGE Stars!!

This is a mesmerizing journey into Milton's World: a world like no other, with music so idiomatic that no one else could do it or attempt to do it. Milton is a "World Music Treasure" unto himself (sorry, Brasil, he belongs to all of us) and, four decades into his career, he continues to produce fresh, beautiful music that excites, fascinates, and invigorates the mind. The music on this CD is almost visually aural in it's intensity: one can almost see it floating, undulating, and spinning in front of us, defying capture.

Milton performs alone and with three awesome female vocal guests. The Grammy winning daughter of Elis Regina, the stunning Maria Rita; the brilliant "Santa Rosa songbird" Simone Guimaraes; and the wonderous Marina Machado. Trust me, they more than hold their own with Milton, which is probably why he invited them to sing with him. Indeed, the haunting duet with Maria Rita on "Tristesse" won a Latin Grammy in 2003. The title song, "Pieta" is fantastic with Milton spinning unusual key changes amid the insistent martial beat. Marina Machado's anguished middle-eastern flavored cries on "Pieta" are so poignant it almost transports us back in time. The pulsating starkness of "Boa Noite" is off set by Simone's beautiful voice, trading verses with Milton before joining him in unison and scatting on the arc of her voice to the end. The very beautiful "Vozes Do Vento" (Voices of the Wind) concludes with all three female guests singing with much gusto with Milton, amid double stops above the percussion and chorus. And Milton on ANY ballad on this CD or any other is worth the price of admission alone. Don't forget to check out Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny with Milton on "Canteloupe Island", it's very cool.

There is so much fresh, beautiful, and varied music on this CD, it will take a while to digest the whole thing. If you have never heard Milton Nascimento, this would be a great place to start. It's all in Portuguese but the words are almost besides the point. I understand little Portuguese but it's not necessary here. This is a one way ticket into Milton's world and it's awesome. Get this one fast. It's hot. Five Big Stars!!

Hauntingly beautiful, technically dazzling, pure joy from Brazil.

This album should be investigated by John Ashcroft as it is the most addictive offering from Milton since 'Nascimento'. The second tune, casa alberta, is as good as anything Milton has ever done, and that's saying a lot!

Bottom line: This one hasn't come out of my CD player since the day I put it in.

Milton Nascimento is so talented a singer, and fortunately, recognized as such world wide, that it is not necessary for me to repeat praises of his skill. This is a beautiful cd with fresh music that is unmistakeably brasilian in style (that style that Paul Simon manages to capture in Rhythem of the Saints, on which Milton enjoys a singing part).

Pietá is a work of art. Milton is simply wonderful, as he's always been. Is this CD he introduces Maria Rita Camargo, someone we will hear a lot more about it in the near future.
An amazing collection of sounds and poetry.

This is a nice album by a phenomenal artist. I first heard him on the album "Native Dancer" by Wayne Shorter, and then I eventually bought "Lo Borges-Clube Da Esquina, which has to be considered a classic. "Pieta" apparently is a tribute to his mother. Since he sings in another language, it's hard to give the most accurate ratings, but his voice and the music are magical almost to the point that it doesn't matter what he's singing about.