CONTRAPONTO

Contraponto is a fair debut for a band now with more than 30 years "on the road" and it's a pity they stayed for so a long time freezing since the musical quality and skill of their members is blatantly noticeable.

That said, I enjoyed particularly band musicianship, however I have to confess that vocals annoyed me a bit - singer should avoid the overextension of the final R, a characteristic of the carioca accent (I am myself a carioca, native of Rio de Janeiro, and I know how this feature sounds quaint when singing, although it may sound tasteful in a day-to-day conversation). He should sing in a more relaxed way, perhaps we may hear it in their next album - I'm pretty sure it'll be produced soon.

'Sensações diversas', the opening track has an EL&P-type intro going quickly to a YES-like segment that keep the hearer's attention. The middle section shows band's signature with massive instrumentation where guitar and keyboards overrule, vocals here are correct and the song flows brightly, almost brilliantly.

'Buscando algo de novo', the following track, starts with fine fingerstyled tunes soon replaced by a nice keyboard action; then comes the spoken lyrics that add very few to the general pleasant atmosphere; the following singing part is interesting even sporting my abovementioned annoyance. Anyway, when the instruments take control of the song, the result is great. Synthesizer multiple solos are really exceptional.

'Conflitantes paranóias' is a kind of short epic, split into 2 tracks. Lyrics are more than average but again there's no need to extend the final R. Part 1 has some enjoyable moments even being excessively lengthy and sometimes repetitive, but the theme grows steadily at Part 2, with an overall grandiose band effort.

'Ventos do passado' closes the album in a good manner, a real catchy song. It disputes with the opening track the title of being album's highest point.

As a final word, I'd like to state that my criticism to the singing work has more to do with the treatment given to the songs than with the singer himself - in this case, a clear production flaw. SPIN XXI's singer has a powerful voice with a nice timbre that should be better conducted. I hope this minor issue could be solved in their next production.

Considering that tracks are agreeable to listen to, the band's highly qualified instrumentation and mainly the history behind the scenes, I rate this album as a good addition even non-essential. Total: 3.