Search - Boca Livre :: Dancando Pelas Sombras

Imagine Take 6, backed by the Gipsy Kings, recording an album of contemporary Brazilian songs in the original Portuguese, and you get some idea of the enchanting folk-jazz hybrid served up by Boca Livre on its first U.S. release, Dancando Pelas Sombras. The four male singers from Rio de Janeiro have added harmonies to recordings by the likes of Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil over the years, and now they step to the foreground with a collection of their own songs, plus several by their former employers. "Boca livre" is Portuguese for "free mouth," and the quartet's vocals are quite inventive, employing both counterpoint and close parallels to open up the harmonies of Brazil's sophisticated pop tradition. "Dancando Pelas Sombras" is Portuguese for "dancing in the shadows," a phrase which suggests both the rippling rhythms and husky timbres of the foursome's arrangements. The four men accompany themselves on nylon-string guitars, flutes, bass, and steel-string guitars and are joined by two hand drummers. The result is an understated, lilting backing which suits the intricate vocal patterns perfectly. At times Boca Livre emphasize the sweetness of its harmonies too much and the African rhythms of Brazilian music too little, but for the most part the weave of the quartet's voices is exceptional in both its skill and imagination. --Geoffrey Himes