Brazilian pop singer Diana is, I have to confess, a minor guilty pleasure... She was on the fringes of the teen-oriented jovem guarda scene and worked extensively with singer Odair Jose; in the '70s her solo career morphed into a sort of Anne Murray/Karen Carpenter mode, and as far as I can tell, things had kind of wound up by the end of the decade. (Any further information is welcome!) Anyway, this is purposefully lightweight stuff, and it's good for what it is... Unchallenging, easy on the ears, just plain old '70s pop. Here's a quick look at her work...
Diana "As Melhores" (Sony, 2002)
Nice best-of collection! Honestly, this is some of the best jovem guarda-style rock that I've heard... really fun stuff! Diana may have been a minor player on the '60s teenybopper scene, but this best-of disc sure is groovy, way hipper-sounding than many of her contemporaries (such as Wanderlea, who covered similar terrain...) It kicks off with a brilliant, funky teenpop update of the old Pixinguinha/Joao De Barro oldie, "Carinhoso," sung as a duet with Ed Wilson, and includes compelling covers of Neil Diamond's "I Am I Said" and David Gates' "Everything I Own," both of which are way better than you'd imagine. The liner notes are pretty scanty on this one, so I'm not sure about the recording dates, but guessing from the sound of things, I'd guess these tracks are from about 1967-75. It's a very enjoyable album, remarkably free of the lulls and weak spots of most JG collections... Recommended!
Diana "Diana" (1972)
Diana "Uma Vez Mais" (1973)
Diana "Voce Prometeu Voltar" (1974)
Diana "Minha Nova Vida" (Polydor, 1975) (LP)
Diana "Sem Barulho" (Polydor, 1976)
Diana "Flor Selvagem" (1978)
Diana "Pra Sempre" (Somarj, 1989)
Diana "Ao Vivo" (GEMA, 2002)
