Search - Urbana Legiao :: Dois

Saudades -- a kind of longing of (and for) a heart

Rafiq Lehmann | Singapore | 08/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a bit of a cliche to say that there is no word for saudade in the English language -- but it's true. And it's also true that no other band compares to Legiao Urbana. This, their second release, is not an incredibly slick production; studio effects are kept to a minimum. What is on this CD is a raw energy and feeling that lives in every note played, in every lyric sung. This band took Brasilian pop beyond tradition, yet at the same time breathed new vibrancy into the spontaneous and organic creativity that is at the very heart of Brasilian musical traditions. Even it you don't speak Portuguese, singer/poet Renato Russo's mastery of his powerfully emotive voice will surely impress. And the songs on this CD sound as fresh and original today as they did in '86. Looking back on the bands of the past 15 years, with so many rip-off artists and pop-schlock regurgitators, this band's contribution to the world of music is obviously, totally and beautifully unique[....]"