Lenine

As one of the most recognised and respected artists making Brazilian music today, Lenine has been celebrated both at home and abroad for his rich lyricism and penchant for fusing traditional rhythms and song structures from across the expansive nation with modern styles and electronic touches. Using rock as his base, the innovative singer-songwriter draws from his country’s entire musical spectrum, infusing his records with hints of maracatu off-beats, drum & bass tinges, and even diverse street sounds, all dictated by each song’s chosen subject matter. Lenine represents the husky voiced rocker’s introduction to North American listeners (as he’s already conquered much of Europe), and is a sort of "best of” of songs culled from three previous released full-lengths. While it’s unfortunate those discs weren’t properly released in its place, this collection offers solid look at Lenine during his most creative phase. In "Rede” (Portuguese for "hammock”), you can actually hear the sound of one swinging on beat faintly in the background, while "Rosebud (O Verbo e a Verba)” has the singer personifying two similar sounding words with completely different meanings. If nothing else, this collection helps to further clarify common notions of just what exists in Brazil outside the realms of samba and bossa nova.