CHEIRO DE VIDA

I am most sorry Brazilian (not to mention from other coutries, of course) musicians are usually underrated... some didn't even manage to achieve success in their homeland, you see. Cheiro De Vida's unfortune is due to the fact of the group being one of the many orphans of progressive music. Such talented musicians weren't accepted by the 80's and those who believed that music needn't to be produced by people who actually studied music. That explains a bit their lack of success in the mainstream. And, on the other hand, it is believed that the 80's weren't much exciting for music. That would make sense if people tried to argue why the group doesn't seem interesting.

The group, however, happens to be slightly popular (albeit in the underground), and thus I am obliged to explain why. In fact, their homonymous album (about which I am writing) does the job for me. It isn't as complex as what was produced a decade earlier, indeed, but it still deserves our attention. Their songs are short and striking: lovely guitar work here, nice rhytm and a very, very funky bass. At the first song you will understand why I compare André Gomes to, say, Jaco Pastorius and Chris Squire. He does one of the best bass guitar solos, completely on the counter-tempo! Sometimes he even plays the song's tune while the guitars just come along. André also plays the citar on the eighth song, Ayisha. The band, though, is not unworthy of such bassist: the guitarists play great harmonies, rhytms and arpeggios, most notably on Crepúsculo.

Almost every song here is sure fun for listeners (except for Ayisha, if you are not into Oriental music, and O Bom Pastor, which seems to be a filler), ranging from funky up-tempo (such as Fechado Para Balanço and Asas Longas) songs to mellower, more melodic orientated ones (Crepúsculo, Nosferatu and Entre Estrelas) and everything in between. Worth a listen, at least. Enjoy!