BONS AMIGOS

This debut by a Brazilian eclectic prog band seems to have very good ratings here. I'm personally not that impressed, but I admit they prove to be very potential internationally. They sing in Portuguese (except for one track with English lyrics) but their influences point directly to the most influential eclectic band ever: GENTLE GIANT. Probably even the album title ('Good Friends') nods there. The opening seconds are an unmistakable GG allusion: polyphonic a cappella vocals. Of course it pales in comparison to the opening of GG's 'In Reflection'. But the message gets through... What lacks here, IMHO, is the strong song-writing. The eclectism and complexity in playing can't hide the fact that this album sounds more or less the same most of the time. Guitars dominate the sound, and the masculine vocals, which I don't enjoy very much ( I wish them to be a bit softer). Also violin and flute are featured but they don't enrich the pallette as much as they could.

Hmmm, maybe I'm exaggerating the bad sides. The whole album is at least listenable all the way. There is also some delicacy, especially on the instrumental pieces, but they remain quite brief and low-profile. The final track is the only one composed and sung by the keyboard player and it's probably the most enjoyable. Is he taking the back seat due to his shyness or are there just more dominant persons in the group?