Brazilian rock artist Fernanda Abreu was a member of the 1980s BRock band Blitz, but went solo to pursue a more dance/rap-oriented style. Here's a quick look at her work...
Fernanda Abreu "SLA Radical Disco Dance Club" (EMI, 1990)
Fernanda Abreu "SLA 2 Be Sample" (EMI, 1992)
(Produced by Liminha, Fernanda Abreu & Fabio Fonseca)
Funk, soul and pop from a former member of the pioneering "BRock" band, Blitz. This album is okay for what it is -- the music is pretty generic for the most part, and Abreu's vocals are just a little better than average. Her debt to Madonna will become clear after a few songs, although here she delves deeper into funk riffs than into soft-soul pop. What's most notable about this album, though, is its historical value: apparently this was one of the first Brazilian pop records to use a lot of sampling technology, and that made quite a splash at the time. For folks who are inclined towards more conventional, commercial pop, this disc might be pretty exciting... The biggest disappointment on the album is when she covers the old American disco hit, "Boogie Ooogie Ooogie..." but does it in English, rather than Portuguese. Dang. Talk about your missed opportunities! Most of the songs are Abreu originals, though the album opens with a cover of Jorge Ben's "Jorge De Capadocia."
Fernanda Abreu "Da Lata" (EMI, 1995)
Fernanda Abreu "Raio X" (EMI, 1997)
Contemporary hip-hop/pop from Rio. Abreu is a dyed-blonde Deeeee-Lite type (...shall we call her Samba Spice?) who pals it up with Brazilian rocker Chico Science (he duets on one track). Abreu wrote or co-wrote about half the songs on here -- other contributions are made by the likes of Lenine and Carlinhos Brown. Overall this is a fairly creditable effort, with plenty of lush production and electric guitar quotes that range from Hendrix and Frampton to the O'Jays "Money"... Along with the slick novo musica, Abreu also peppers in a couple of traditional samba tracks, including a version of "Aquarela Brasileira" where she does a passable take at sounding like Clara Nunes. Good, though not earth-shaking, contemporary pop from a former member of the popular '80s BRock band, Blitz.
Fernanda Abreu "Entidade Urbana" (EMI, 2000)
Slick but uninspiring hip-hop flavored rock'n'pop, with occasional stylistic dips in regional Brazilian music. Professionally produced, with a very big, brash sound, but not much subtlety or depth.
Fernanda Abreu "Na Paz" (EMI, 2004)
Fernanda Abreu "MTV Ao Vivo" (2006)
Fernanda Abreu "Amor Geral" (Sony Music, 2016)
Fernanda Abreu "Amor Geral (A)LIVE" (Sony Music, 2020)
