Lenine is one of Brazil's most accomplished indie-rockers, adept at mixing alt-rock, hip-hop, electronica and good, old Brazilian bossa... As a performer, composer and producer, Lenine helped sculpt the sound of modern Brazilian pop, working with the elite of Brazilian MPB... Here's a quick look at his work...
Lenine "Perfil" (Som Livre, 2005)
Lenine "Vamos Pro Mundo" (Six Degrees/Crammed Disc, 2006)
A soulful, well-selected set from the work of one of Brazil's most dynamic, inventive young rock-pop musicians... This disc dips into his solo catalog, picking the best, most accessible material and arranging it in an elegant musical set... If you're looking for world artists who can really balance different styles while pushing the music forward into new, delightful directions, you'll want to check this album out. Recommended!
Lenine & Lula Queiroga "Baque Solto" (WEA, 1983)
(Produced by Joao Marop Linhares & Joao Augusto)
The debut of Pernambuco's pop-rocker Lenine, who shows a strong early debt to classic, lavish MPB by the likes of Gilberto Gil and Ivan Lins. This is okay, although it's not as lively or innovative as his later work in the 1990s. The sometimes-syrupy, slightly sluggish soft-jazz trappings of the genre weigh this down, but if you don't mind the slick stuff, this is pretty good. Particularly recommended for fans of Milton Nascimento and middle-period Gilberto Gil.
Lenine & Marcos Suzano "Olho De Peixe" (Velas, 1993)
Lenine "O Dia Em Que Faremos Contatos" (BMG Ariola, 1997)
One hypnotic track on one of David Byrne's Brazil Classics compilations was enough to send me scurrying out to pick this one up... and I wasn't disappointed at all. One of the most creative, listenable MPB artists out there today, very much in the tradition of Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil's best work... a fine mix of pop, trip-hop, samba and folk-blues styles.
Lenine "Na Pressao" (BMG Ariola, 1999)
More indie/trip-hop style stuff, but with a much more predictable, static feel than the last album. This album is pleasant and has some creative moments, but mostly it's formulaic and not terribly exciting. Some cool, spacy tracks towards the end where things get a tweaky help to balance out the rest of the record -- on balance I suppose it's worth checking out... but don't expect too much.
Lenine "Falange Canibal" (BMG Ariola, 2002)
Here Lenine continues his explorations of densely-layered, loose-grooved, weirdly conceived trip-pop. It's weird, arty stuff, perhaps a bit dense for most the casual listener, but anyone looking for challenging, original new material out of Brazil (or just something out of their own frame of reference) will want to check this out. Creative, but not very "pop..." even includes a twisted stab at Cuban son on a track or two, amid all the ambient hip-hop rock melanges.
Lenine "En Cite Ao Vivo" (Sony-BMG, 2004)
Lenine "En Cite Ao Vivo" (DVD) (Sony-BMG, 2004) (DVD)
Lenine "Lenine MTV Acustico" (Sony-BMG, 2006)
Lenine "Labiata" (Universal, 2008)
Lenine "Lenine.doc Trilhas" (Universal, 2010)
Lenine "Chao" (Universal, 2011)
