Cartola

If your perception of Carioca's samba do morro (samba of the hills) relates to noisy, percussive grooves topped by poor melodies, this release is what you need to discover the real thing. Cartola was one of the most important samba composers of all time. His lyrical "O Mundo e um Moinho" opens the album, delivering its luxurious melodic lines. The progression of the album reveals in each new track some hidden treasures in the rustic sophistication of a poet of the people. The richness and originality of the poetic imagery contained in his lyrics, unfortunately unattainable for non-Portuguese speakers, astounds for its depth as a creation of a humble hill dweller. There are also uptempo sambas, but the forefront is delivered to voice/choir/trombone and the seven-string violao at the counterpoint, with the percussion discretely in the background. The album also contains his biggest hit, the immortal "As Rosas nao Falam." A must have. ~ Alvaro Neder