My Vinyl Albums

Warmly jazzy and beautifully lyrical work from Gal Costa – a bit of a departure from the darkness of her earlier albums, but still plenty darn great! There's a really fluid sensibility to most of the tunes here – one that matches the title and cover image of the record – and which comes mostly from the well-crafted arrangements by Wagner Tiso and Perinho Albuquerque. A number of tunes use electric keyboards mixed with raspier guitar – a nice blend of instruments that still gives even the smoother tracks a bit of an edge. Titles include "Mae" by Caetano Veloso, "Cade" by Milton Nascimento, "Pois E" by Jobim, and "O Gosto Do Amor" by Luiz Gonzaga Jr – plus "Olhos Verdes", "Folhetim", "O Gosto Do Amor", and "A Mulher".

  Gal's in the prime of her sexy diva style here – singing in a sweet warm style with smooth jazzy arrangements that bring out a whole new side of her career. Obviously, the album's not as groundbreaking as some of her early work – but the quality is very high, and Gal's voice is always wonderful, no matter what the setting. Arrangements are by Gilson Peranzzetta and Lincoln Olivetti – and titles include "Meu Bem, Meu Mal", "Canta Brasil", "Roda Baiana", "Festa Do Interior", "Massa Real", and "Estrela, Estrela".

It's the early 80s, and Gal's working with a style that's sure a lot sweeter and slicker than her earlier albums – but her voice is still fantastic, and we can't help liking the catchy tunes on the album, which are produced in a style that's similar to some of the modern soul-oriented work that Marcos Valle was doing around the same time. There's a lot of electric keyboards and percussion, but Gal's voice is still out front, singing in a lovely touching manner. Includes a nice remake of the classic "Baby" performed with backing vocals by Roupa Nova, plus the tracks "Ruma Louca", "Olhos Do Coracoa", "Mil Perdoes", "Sutis Diferencas", "Grande Final" and "Sim Ou Nao".