A great 70s album by Os Novos Baianos – a wonderfully youthful group that was one of the bright spots in Brazilian music after the Tropicalia years. The band had a style that mixed folksy percussion with honest personal songwriting, plus occasional touches of elements gleaned from the larger influences in Brazilian rock at the time. The album has a sound that's a lot more intimate than later work, with some especially great work on guitar and bandolim, and great production on the band's vocals. Titles include "Sorrir E Cantar Como Bahia", "Dagmar", "Vagabundo Nao E Facil", "Cosmos E Damiao", "Com Qualquer Dois Mil Reis", and "Os Pingo Da Chuva". LP, Vinyl record album

Leila Pinheiro's first album – first issued back in 1982, with a spare and jazzy post-bossa style that reminds us of some of Gal Costa's work from the same period! Leila's vocals are wonderful – slightly deep with lots of jazzy phrasing, set to arrangements that drift along in a mixture of electric and acoustic instrumentation – a wonderful blend, and one that gives the record a depth that you don't always find in some of Pinheiro's more recent recordings. The set includes songs by Francis Hime, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Donato, and Cateano Veloso – and titles include "Tudo Em Cima", "Bons Amigos", "A Porta", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Lua De Cetim", and "Nossa Rua". LP, Vinyl record album