Search - O Rappa :: Lado B Lado a

Like a Can-Opener for your Brain

A Slight Delay | NJ, USA | 07/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About ten years ago, I first heard "Da Lama Ao Caos" by Chico Science and Nacao Zumbi, it was like something subtle had shifted in the world. Unfortunately, Chico Science died after the band's next album, and even though the remaining members carried on, the band was never quite the same after that.



For a while, I wondered if I'd find something similar--something equally adventuresome, fearless, or ground-breaking. These guys are it. Everything goes into the blender, from metal to hip-hop to samba; but this isn't a fusion that calls attention to itself. It's a seamless blend that's passionate, fierce, and utterly danceable. This is one of the few acts from Brazil that could put a candle to CSNZ.



"Lado B Lado A" is where the elements that're only hinted at on the band's previous two albums finally come together. Don't worry if, like me, you don't speak a word of Portuguese... if this disc doesn't give you goosebumps, seek a cardiologist posthaste. There's not a single dud on this set. And the whole sounds like "Remain In Light," if Talking Heads had detoured via Brazil on their way to Africa. There's echoes of other things in here, too, from Material (in part thanks to Bill Laswell's mixing of two tracks) to Jorge Ben, circa "Africa Brasil."



There's a lot more that can be said about this album, and probably said better than I've managed here; but when all's said and done, it's about the music, and not the review. Buy the disc, and see if it leaves your CD player for a week. It's just that good."

This is a crossover album that will open your eyes.

S. Koedel | New York, NY United States | 04/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an album! A cross between 4 or 5 major influences. African beats, heavy electric guitar, pop vocals, electric overtones, it goes on and on, and can't be described.From when I first put this into the CD tray, I hadn't felt this strongly about a new album since first hearing Traveling Without Moving by Jamiroquai. Don't get me wrong, this is very different from Jay Kay, but it grooves like you can't believe. These guys are the coolest act in Brazil, they have carved their own style and no one else has it. I liked this so much, I memorized lyrics when I lived in Sao Paulo. To top it off, they happen not to be spoiled Brazilian rock stars, but rather do everything they can to raise awareness for social issues and support the favelas.Forgetting their politics, I just wish they would leave Brazil one day and visit NYC. I rate this as one of the best ten albums I have ever heard."

Way too Catchy

John C. Thomas | Chicago, IL USA | 08/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's too bad that most Americans can only get the old-line Brazilian pop artists (Gil, Veloso, Nascimento, etc.) in their music store and occaisionally on the radio. I've been listening to Brazilian pop and rock for 18 years, and O Rappa might be the best thing to come along since Paralamas do Sucesso. The single "O Que Sobrou do Ceu" is stuck in my head from listening to Brazilian radio on the 'net. The other tracks show a surprising versitility and an independent sound. Bands like this aren't imitating American rock, they're doing their own, original thing."