Along with bands like E O Tchan, Exaltasamba was one of several bands in the modern, 1990s "pagode" scene, which took the sleek, elegant samba of the '70s and transformed it into bland, heartless, prefab pop. Some folks see it as harmless party music, others as a cultural travesty, but these radio-friendly pop songs are what dominated Brazilian Top Forty for decades. Here's a quick look at this band's work...
Exaltasamba "Eterno Amanhecer" (RDS, 1992)
Exaltasamba "Encanto" (RDS, 1994)
Exaltasamba "Luz Do Desejo" (EMI, 1996)
Exaltasamba "Desliga E Vem" (EMI, 1997)
Exaltasamba "Cartao Postal" (EMI, 1998)
Exaltasamba "Mais Uma Vez" (EMI, 2000)
Yeesh. I was deceived by the album's first track, which is a fairly decent soft-samba ballad, but I soon realized that most of the songs on here are really terrible -- super-sappy, overproduced soft pop, with syrupy strings and Kenny G-ish brass and woodwinds. Tacky, blithe pop which mimicks the great melodic pagode of yesteryear. Skippable.
Exaltasamba "Bons Momentos" (EMI, 2001)
Exaltasamba "Ao Vivo" (EMI, 2002)
Exaltasamba "Alegrando A Massa" (EMI, 2003)
Exaltasamba "Esquema Novo" (EMI, 2005)
Exaltasamba "Livre Para Voar" (2007)
Exaltasamba "Todos Os Sambas Ao Vivo" (EMI, 2006)
Exaltasamba "Todos Os Sambas Ao Vivo" (2006) (DVD)
Exaltasamba "Pagode Do Exalta Ao Vivo" (EMI, 2007)
Exaltasamba "Pagode Do Exalta Ao Vivo" (2007) (DVD)
Exaltasamba "Ao Vivo Na Ilha Da Magia" (EMI, 2008)
Exaltasamba "25 Anos Ao Vivo" (Som Livre, 2010)
Exaltasamba "Serie Bis" (EMI, 2000)
A 2-CD best-of collection...
Exaltasamba "Serie Identidade" (EMI, 2002)
Exaltasamba "Para Sempre" (EMI, 2002)
Exaltasamba "Nova Bis" (EMI, 2005)
Another 2-CD set...
Exaltasamba "Eu Sou O Samba" (EMI, 2005)
Exaltasamba "Essencial" (Som Livre, 2008)
