DO CÓCCIX ATÉ O PESCOÇO

If you think the MPB is in bad shape (some would even say it is half dead), littered with streamlined and pointless recordings, it is time to think again, because the tides have begun to turn. And the one signaling the change is Elza Soares on Do Cóccix até o Pescoço. With her unique and instantly recognisable voice, Elza returns in magnificent style under the artistic and philosophical direction of José Miguel Wisnik and the production of a great newcomer; the producer Alê Siqueira. Dura na Queda, written by Chico Buarque as a tribute to Elza herself, contains the verses of an entire life, and paves the way for the erratic but upbeat funk track Hoje é Dia de Festa, by Jorge Benjor. A somewhat peculiar version of Haiti shows that Elza has developed into a fine and powerful rapper. The song Dor de Cotovelo, from whose lyrics the album title is taken, is Caetano Veloso handing on a plate to Elza everything that jealousy can provoke. With lyrics by Wisnik and music by Ernesto Narareth, Bambino is one of the songs on the album that seems to have been tailor-made for Elza. A perfect fitting of melody and harmony for a perfect samba singer. Converted to modernity, Elza then continues with A Carne, previously recorded by the Rio based band Farofa Carioca and Eu vou ficar aqui by Arnaldo Antunes. What follows is a sublime moment when Luíz Melodia’s Fadas is transformed into a beautiful tango. Flores Horizontais, a poem by Oswald de Andrade with music by Wisnik, is perfect: lyrical, tranquil and divided between rage and despair in the voice of Elza. It doesn’t matter what Elza Soares does from now on, not even if she records a similar album again, but if this is the starting point of a new stage in her career, we don’t have to worry a bit. (Translated from Portuguese by Philip Jandovský.) (Filipe Quintans)