Search - Simone Guimaraes :: Piracema

The Amazing Simone Guimaraes !!

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 06/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five Stars for this amazing Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist, and poet, whose every work is quickly bought by this reviewer. This is her wonderful 1996 Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) debut. "Piracema" (the instinctual event in which fish are innately drawn to swim upstream to their birth place to lay eggs and die, while their spawn begin the process anew) is a recording of great wonder and wide variety, all delivered by the truly amazing exotic voice of Simone Guimaraes and an astounding group of support musicians. It is literally a re-working of the sound track of a TV nature documentary which was co-composed by Paulo Jobim (Antonio Carlos' son). These ten songs, a mixture of instrumentals and songs sung in Portuguese, are AWESOME. She takes us on a trip thru Brazil, thru nature, and thru diverse musical forms to a state of pure love and happiness. And she graciously shares the stage, giving her support cast alot of singing and playing room. Paulo Jobim and Simone in duet sound like a 21st Century version of 'Elis Regina and Tom Jobim' on "Ceu De Estio" (Heaven's Sky) and "Canoa, Canoa" (Canoe, Canoe). The power and beauty of all of these songs make the need for translation unnecessary.



The gentle samba "Tamandua" (The Anteater) is both promise and warning of what man's meddling in nature can cause. The bridge's descending figure ("e a agua cristalina") is pure beauty and is almost a song within a song. The 'forro' "Lambari", with it's great swirling piano/accordian theme, pianism loaded with saudade (sadness/longing), and the wild accordion 'comping', shows you why 'forro' was created as dance music. Simone's beautiful too-seldom-heard upper middle register on "Felicidade" (Happiness) is pure joy, shared with Jose Alves' stellar vocal performance about a search that covers "a thousand places" and "four seas" for the ultimate treasure. "Vida Do Rio" (River of Life), the wordless "Laranjeiras" (Orange Trees), and "Piracema" are exceptionally beautiful. If you haven't heard the exotic voice and mesmerizing music of Simone Guimaraes, this is the place to start. She's great! The remastering is outstanding! Five Big Stars!"