Customer Reviews

Tha Soul Of Brazil

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Tim Maia was an iconic Brazilian soul singer who (sadly) passed away in 1998 in his mid 50's - - While he got quite funky in the '70s (like so many of his compatriots) a strong point of his artistry was his unwillingness to get cornered into performing in one particular style... hence, even though he may not be a household name outside Brazil, the fact was his music never became irrelevant... In fact, this in particular makes this CD so interesting... though his energetic performance style and the fantastic production style is always consistent, the tracks do NOT all sound the same... each track has some great twist or surprise and is worth a listen.

On this CD we hear a wide variety of styles.
Tunes range from funky '70s disco... soul samba... mainstream Northern Soul... and a whole hybrid of genres (sometimes lumped together here in Japan as "free soul")... Of course, many tunes are sung in his native Portuguese, and while I haven't the faintest idea what he's singing about, its hard not to appreciate his distinctly Brazillian, always groovy yet inspired breed of '70s soul...

Sadly, he's no longer with us... but as tracks of his (especially Reu Confesso) show up on various compilations, his name will continue to grow in popularity... and if you dig Brazillian Funk and Soul, this is definitely a good place to start discovering a true great.

note: If you like his funkier rare groove stuff, check out his self titled album from 1977, also available on Amazon.

Incidentally, this is one CD that saves the best for last... one of my favorite tracks is the possibly tongue in cheek THESE ARE THE SONGS, a soulful duet with Elis Regina featuring some really nice organ and guitar (Elis Regina was a superstar vocalist who also recorded with Jobim and who's LPs will probably be of interest to fans of more orthodox Bossa Nova.) - - In contrast the funky CHIC like "O Descobridor Dos Sete Mares" officer some great booty shaking late '70s disco soul that definitely has it on the heavy rotation list on my player !

From the back of the CD:

"Looking back ten years after his untimely death, one thing is for sure, Tim Maia was larger than life. Born into a family of 19 brothers and sisters, he demanded order but couldn't follow the rules himself. His two prime characteristics as an artist were his deep and finely tuned voice and the uncanny habit of not showing up for his own gigs. His talent, not only as a singer but as a composer as well, solidified his place in Brazilian music history. His trajectory began by age 14 playing in bands as a drummer and later switched to guitar, but he didn't find his calling as a vocalist until retuning to Brazil after a several year stint in the US where he ended up in jail and soon deported after being charged with possession of marijuana in a stolen car.

What he did return with was a penchant for American soul music. His way with soulful ballads and funky down tempo grooves is more relevant than ever in the midst of a current soul revival. His music has a unique combination of samba swing and an R & B sensibility with tight arrangements, complete with horn and bass heavy rhythm sections.. from soulful ballads to mid tempo grooves.."

All in all, a fair CD. Songs are short mostly between 3 - 5 minutes. Only a couple of them are in English. Better than this I thought was the "Brazil 70s Vol 2" CD, a compilation of various Brazilian 70s soul players, in which Tim Maia is included, but which overall gives a better selection of songs from a variety of top artists in the genre.

Do you ever have one of those rainy drab Saturdays, just hanging out, feeling flat and wanting to get a CD to get the day lifted off? This would be perfect.

This is 70s-80s latin soul. Maia has a rich baratone, and sings to grooves that range from 60s AM R&B--think Young Holt Unlimited on steroids-to slicker, modern R&B. This music is always genuine, emotionally swaying, and more than enough to get the heart open and the hips moving. Terrific, big arrangements that sustain Maia's deep as a canyon voice.

Get this.