SECOS & MOLHADOS (III)

Exactly four years after the demise of Brazil´s biggest musical phenomenon of the decade, songwriter and founder member João Ricardo tried to revive Secos & Molhados with a different line up. He chose a singer with a voice striking similar of Ney Matogrosso, which promptly put a lot of people on guard about this "revival". After all, Matogrosso has a very distinctive voice and was already a superstar solo artist. The new S & M were considered a mere cash in operation. At first they were being accepted when the acoustic Que Fim Levaram Todas As Flores? was a sizable hit. But when the band appeared on the next TV show using similar clothes and make up as the original trio, it proved a bad move: the public immediately smelled a sell out and any chances of credibility and recognition were dashed. The band broke up soon after this. Times had changed.

Which is really a pity, since the music inside is very good. It did not reach the quality of their two previous studio works, nor had a fraction of the cultural impact they once possessed, but still the material was strong enough, some tracks even toying with some "modern" arrangements like Insatisfação and De Mim Para Voce. But most of the time they tried hard to diversify their music, some tracks did sound like the old Secos & Molhados, but mostly dipped on other styles. The guitarist of the album was Wander Taffo, a very talent player who would became one of the founder members of Radio Taxi, a pop rock group which had quite a big commercial success in the late 70´s and early 80´s. The new S&M showed great promise musically speaking, but unfortunately they stood little chance after they tried to recreate the old looks with the new guys.

If you liked the first two albums, chances are you might as well appreciate this one too. Not as powerful and unique as the original trio, but still very good. Joao Ricardo remains one of the most underrated songwriters of Brazil. Like the Sisyphus myth, Secos & Molhados became the stone he tried to take uphill again and again for the decades to come.

So, while planning this review, Tarcisio Moura ended up writing his first. For purposes of context and understanding of what was the third album of SECOS & MOLHADOS, take a good read at his right there.

Specifically talking about the music itself, it's funny of how much we have here a complete standardization of the sound of JO'O RICARDO: with a clear mix of pop songs, funk and folk (not in the same vein than the previous works) in a full commercially fashion. His famous debut album in solo carrier (The Pink Album), is far more bold and interesting that the third studio album released by the band's name. However, here lies some very interesting melodies and good compositions, although with too much diversity, that made the album looses a bit of "organic" sense. For me, the major highlights were "Que fim levaram todas as flores" (which had good national impact) and "Cobra Coral Indiana", which highlights the good production of Jo'o Ricardo and great guitar of Wander Taffo.

Although a good album, it is far from essential. But fans of 14 Bis and perhaps even Supertramp should give a spin.