Maria Rita Camargo – Maria RitaMaria Rita Camargo – Maria RitaMaria Rita Camargo – Maria Rita

I always find it quite mysterious that artists who are idolized in one part of the world are not at all considered in another. Maria Rita Camargo Mariano (aka Maria Rita) is one of these cases but with the aggravating circumstance of being the only daughter of Elis Regina, also very famous here with "Aguas de Março" by Jobim (translated into Italian and sung by many among which Mina).

Elis died of an overdose in 1982, leaving little Maria Rita with the heavy legacy of the legend. Brazilian artists struggle much harder than Americans to be appreciated in the rest of the world because they do not count on an incredible range of vocals - more attractive to the average audience - but they focus a lot on the content, the rhythm and the sweetness of the melody ( think of how many infinite ways the Brazilian guitar has to play the same chord). Brazilian music would often require greater listening attention to grasp the nuances of "saudade" (an indescribable word that is a little melancholy and a little nostalgia), the philosophy of dance, the ethnic and social phenomenon that that music tells. This is Maria Rita's debut cd, one million copies sold, 3 platinum discs, 2 Latin Grammys, now a legend of Brazilian song. The CD was released in 20 countries including Italy, but, at least here, with little resonance (some radio passage of the song "Cara Valente"). Musically it's all a bit basic, almost like a concert in a club: double bass, drums, guitar, percussion, piano, with some Rodhes and accordion inserts. In some pieces the di strings peek out. Maria Rita takes up part of the author's music with rearranged pieces by Milton Nascimento how "The party "(the party) with a traditionally Latin-popular flavor, with an accordion in the background, or" Agora so falta voce "(now only you are missing) by Brazilian rock star Rita Lee, this time reworked in a lighter, almost pop rock. A sensual and engaging rhythm accompanies us towards the heart of the cd è "The meninha do portao"(the girl at the gate), love story with a Rodhes piano in the background and a double bass that give it a jazz flavor. The rhythm slows down, a brushed snare opens to the next song"Nao worth it"(not worth it) with the story of the end of a love."Dos Gardenias "(two gardenias), a slow rumba, has a particular linguistic contamination, with stanzas starting in Portuguese and ending in Spanish, naturally and without forcing.
"Dear Valente"(good face on a bad situation) breaks the subdued tone that has been breathed up to this point of the CD to open a samba of liberation for a finished love that ends with an" ele não é de nada "(he is worth nothing). "Holy chuva"(holy rain) is a dialogue between a man and a woman, the betrayal of a man and the request for forgiveness strongly rejected. An accordion adds a hint of pathos. Rain on the one hand is the metaphor of tears while on the other it is the water that purifies and frees a love sick with falsehood. The piece is divided not only conceptually but also musically into two parts: the second, the woman's refusal, shows an unexpected verve that breaks the sweetness of the first.
"Menina from lua"(Moon Girl) is the most lyrical song on the album, a very tender declaration of love sung with only piano accompaniment for almost the entire duration then closed with strings. A separate chapter deserves" Encontros e Despedidas "( meetings and farewells), of Milton Nascimento, the metaphor of the station of life in which "the same train that arrives is also that of departure", "they are only two sides of the same journey", "the time of meeting is also that of farewell". The rhythm is cadenced almost like that of a train. The arrangement also differs from the rest because it is almost orchestral with very present strings from the very beginning. The cd resumes rhythm with "ceiling", a ballad by Rita Lee with onomatopoeic phrases (" Ratatá! Ratatá! Ratatá! ") that give the piece a certain cheerfulness. The piece is dedicated to the writer Patricia Rehder Galvao (known as Pagu and died prematurely in 1962). The pace increases, we start again with berimbau of the samba of "Lavadeira Do Rio" (the washerwoman of the river) written by Lenine, well-known Brazilian author and singer (a Latin Grammy in 2005).
For the third time in the CD Maria Rita sings a song written by Marcelo Carmelo, this time a slow samba of the nostalgia but not sad "Veja bem meu bem"(see well, my son). Interesting is the replacement of the double bass in the first part of the piece with a dry and rhythmic bass of the piano. The CD closes with a ballad,"Cupid", where you hear the album's only synth that creates an original electronic atmosphere for the story of love at first sight.

The board

CD title: MARIA RITA
Author: Maria Rita

1. A Feast (Milton Nascimento)
2. Agora só Falta Você (Rita Lee / Luiz Sérgio)
3. Menininha do Portão (Nonato Buzar / Paulinho Tapajós)
4. Não Vale a Pena (Paulo Garfunkel / Jean Garfunkel)
5. Dos Gardenias (Isolina Carrillo)
6. Dear Valente (Marcelo Camelo)
7. Santa Chuva (Marcelo Camelo)
8. Menina da Lua (Renato Motha / Patricia Lobato)
9. Encontros and Despedidas (Fernando Brant / Nascimento)
10. Pagu (Zélia Duncan / Lee)
11. Lavadeira do Rio (Lenine / Braulio Tavares)
12. Veja Bem, Meu Bem (Camelo / Lenine / Tavares)
13. Cupid (Cláudio Lins)

The "judgment"

CD to listen to and listen to again, Maria Rita gives surprises and emotions even after many repeats, she is a great communicator.

The video of "Encontros e Despedidas" (meetings and farewells)

Maria Rita on wikipedia http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Rita

Official site http://www.maria-rita.com

I always find it rather strange that artists who are idolized in certain parts of the world get no consideration in some others. Maria Rita Camargo (stage name Maria Rita) is one of those cases but with the aggravating circumstance that she's the only Elis Regina's daughter, also very well known around here for her “Aguas de Março” by Jobim (translated into Italian and sang by many artists, among whom Mina).

Elis died from an overdose in 1982 leaving her little Maria Rita the heavy inheritance of being a legend. Brazilian artists have to work harder than American ones in order to be fully appreciated in the rest of the world for they can't rely on an extremely wide vocal range – which would be drawing much more attention from the general public audience – but count on content, on rhythm and on the sweetness of the melody (think about how many different ways a guitar can play a particular chord). The Brazilian music should be approached with much more attention in terms of listening in order to catch the nuances of the “saudade” (an untranslatable word, halfway between melancholy and nostalgia), the Brazilian dance philosophy and the ethnic and social phenomenon which is described by that music. This particular cd we are about to present is the first one by Maria Rita, which already sold one million copies, achieved 3 platinum disks, 2 Latin Grammy Awards, by now a myth in the Brazilian music.  The cd has been distributed around 20 countries including Italy, but at least here with a little echo (some airplays on radio stations for the track “Cara Valente”). In terms of music everything is rather essential, almost as a club gig: double bass, drums, guitar, percussions, piano with some Rodhes interventions and accordion. In some tracks strings show up. Maria Rita brings back some part of the auteurs music rearranging songs like “At a party” (The party) by Milton Nascimento of traditional Latin flavor, with an accordion on the background, or “Agora so falta voci” (It's only you that I miss now) by the Brazilian rockstar Rita Lee, with a softer rock rendition, almost pop. A sensual and engaging rhythm leads us towards the heart of the cd with “A meninha do portao” (The girl from the gate), a love song with a Rhodes piano on the background and a double bass adding a jazz flavor to it. The Rhythm slows down, a brushed snare opens up the following “No, it's worth it” (It's not worth it) about the end of a love affair. “Two Gardenias” (two gardenias), a slow rumba, featured by a particular contamination about the language where verses that start in Portuguese end in Spanish, in a natural way and with no twisting at all.
“Dear Valente” (Grin and bear it) breaks the hushed tones which has brought us up to this point, opening a samba which celebrates the release from a romance, closing it with words that say “ele não é de nada” (he is worthless). “Holy cow” (holy rain) is a conversation between a man and a woman, where he is the cheater asking for a forgiveness which would be strongly rejected. An accordion adds a touch of pathos. Rain on one hand is a metaphor for tears as well as on the other hand it is water that purifies and frees from a tainted love. This track not only shows duality in terms of concept but also from a musical point of view: the second part, when the woman rejects him, shows an unexpected verve which breaks the sweetness conveyed in the first one. “Menina da lua” (Moon girl) is the most lyrical track on the album, a fond declaration of love sung just with piano accompaniment almost the whole track through and then some strings to close it. A separate discussion must be reserved for “Encontros e Despedidas” (Encounters and Farewells), Milton Nascimento, where the station is a metaphor for life in which every train that arrives is the same one that leaves”, “they're only two aspects of the same journey”, “the meeting hour is also the farewell”. The rhythm is lilting almost like the rate of motion of a train. Also the arrangement is different from the rest of the album for here it's almost orchestral with a strong presence of strings from the start. The cd steps up the beat again with “Pagu”, a ballad by Rita Lee with onomatopoeic phrases (“Ratatá! Ratatá! Ratatá!”) which gives a certain cheerfulness to the track. This track is dedicated to the author Patrícia Rehder Galvão (known as Pagu, died before her time in 1962). The rhythm increases, starting over again with the berimbau playing samba in “Lavandeira Do Rio” (The laundress of the river) written by Lenine, a famous Brazilian author and singer (a Latin Grammy Award in 2005).
For the third time on the album Maria Rita sings a song written by Marcelo Carmelo, this time a slow samba of the saudade but not sad “Veja bem meu bem” (Be careful, my son). An interesting result is the replacing the double bass on the first section of the song with a dry and tilting bass from the piano. The album closes off with a ballad, "Cupid" (Cupid), where the only synth on the album can be heard, creating a peculiar electronic atmosphere for the story of a love at first sight.

DATA SHEET

CD Title: MARIA RITA
Author: Maria Rita
1. A Feast (Milton Nascimento)
2. Agora só Falta Você (Rita Lee / Luiz Sérgio)
3. Menininha do Portão (Nonato Buzar / Paulinho Tapajós)
4. Não Vale a Pena (Paulo Garfunkel / Jean Garfunkel)
5. Dos Gardenias (Isolina Carrillo)
6. Dear Valente (Marcelo Camelo)
7. Santa Chuva (Marcelo Camelo)
8. Menina da Lua (Renato Motha / Patricia Lobato)
9. Encontros and Despedidas (Fernando Brant / Nascimento)
10. Pagu (Zélia Duncan / Lee)
11. Lavadeira do Rio (Lenine / Braulio Tavares)
12. Veja Bem, Meu Bem (Camelo / Lenine / Tavares)
13. Cupid (Cláudio Lins)
 
 The “verdict”
An album to listen to again and again, Maria Rita is able to surprise and touch emotionally even after listening to the album for several times, she is capable of conveying emotions.
The video for “Encontros e Despedidas” (Encounters and Farewells)