Trio Mocoto （1977）

This reissues Trio Mocoto's third album, not counting the ones where the group backed up artists like Jorge Ben and Roberto Carlos. Most of the tracks on this album are original material written by the group, but there are also a few covers, like for example the two great Jorge Ben songs: "Dile" and "Que Nega e Essa?" Trio Mocoto definitely was one of the most exciting of all the immensely creative Brazilian samba/funk and samba rock bands and artists who emerged during the '70s, and this album is a fine example of that. As always, the group elegantly blends samba with rock, funk, and bossa nova, and always with the same instinct for fluent melodies, contagious percussion beats, and energetic bass guitar. Some of the tracks, like the opening "Nao Adianta" and "Que Nega e Essa?," are quite fast, while other tracks, like "Dile" and "O Meu Violao," are more laid-back. This album is a classic, and it also turned out to be Trio Mocoto's last before the group's brilliant 2001 comeback, Samba Rock. ~ Philip Jandovsky