Search - Nacao Zumbi :: Nacao Zumbi

Won't you take me to mangue town?

G. T. Richards | Adelaide, South Australia | 03/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay I won't pretend to know anything about mangue music, and by the fact that my local CD store had filed this under 'African' music means I'm probably not alone. Nacao Zumbi (from Brazil, by the way) have been around for quite some time, and this effort of theirs after the untimely passing away of Chico Science is an enjoyable and eclectic selection of music. My favourite is the heavy 'Meu Maracatu Pesa Uma Tonelada', which is just too short and must be played very loud to truly enjoy.. Blunt of Judah is also a grinding anthem for the album. Ogan Di Bele is a straight out reggae song, and all the other songs are somewhere in between. Not all the songs work, but there is enough on the CD and enough variation that there's probably something in there that will appeal to most listeners. A couple of the songs are just plain bizarre. Interestingly, a couple of the songs are in English, which doesn't seem to add anything to the music, in fact they would have been better off sticking to Portugese, my opinion only. Overall, a few excellent tracks, a few interesting ones and a couple I can live without, but an interesting introduction to the world of mangue music."