EU SOU LIA

Simplicity is the tone of Lia de Itamaracá’s first CD, a ciranda specialist who had a big hit – Ciranda de Lia – recorded by singer Teca Calazans in 1967. Lately, Lia left her home in Pernambuco (Northeast Brazil) to tour in Brazil and Europe. Lia (or Maria Madalena Correia do Nascimento) recorded an LP in 1977, which granted her 20 copies for distribution and not a penny. The hypnotic power of her cirandas mixes one track with the next – and each track already mixes three or four songs – dismissing harmonic accompaniment and supported exclusively by Lia’s husky voice and by the typical percussion from Pernambuco: snare drum, bass drum and ganzá (Brazilian type of clapper). The ever-present saxophone played by Bezerra, 82 years-old, offers the counterpoint, sometimes with the help of other brass instruments, which, in brief interventions, bring the listener back from the trance, feet on the ground – the ground, here, are the streets of Recife and Olinda (Nagô, Nagô, Ele Não Sabe o Que É o Amor). The necessary choir is also on the disc, "answering" Lia’s propositions. She has a very peculiar approach to the constant and attractive rhythm of the ciranda – it is usual to see the audience dancing in rings during her shows.

There are a number of traditional songs in the album, such as Ajoelha, Ajoelha, where the singer improvises and pays homage to other remarkable artists from Pernambuco, like Dona Selma do Coco and Mestre Salu. Roberto Carlos and Discoteca de Pracinha are other special tracks on Eu Sou Lia, which had been previously released by Ciranda Records and is currently distributed by Rob Digital, a company that bets on the fascination that northeastern beats cause on listeners around the globe. (Nana Vaz de Castro)