Estrelando embaixador

Just FYI: the dude on the cover is not Tribo Massáhi. Tribo Massáhi is the collective with at least eight members. The dude on the cover is the co-composer, known only as Embaixador. This is one of those one-and-done bands, this being their only studio release. So what do I make of it? Well, it's the album that introduced me to batucada, a subset of Brazilian samba. So naturally this album is all about the percussion and the party that grows up around the beats and grooves. Some glorious call-and-response action going on here, steeping this album more in its rhythmic African roots. It seems the reissue of this rare gem in 2015 is what made it suddenly pop up on the radar of 21st-century listeners. Whatever. This is one long-playing party, where the tracks blend together, not giving you--the dancer--a chance to come up for air.

28 minutes of tropical partying, and I mean it, because this one flows like one continuous track, despite it being labeled otherwise. With that in mind, I can't write a standout track, other than "OAN" which surprised me with its sudden switch to a more funky tune. It's a great album, especially if you're into that indigenous, uplifting type of music.