Luciana Mello is the daughter of the great samba balladeer, Jair Rodrigues, whose stuff from the early '70s I like a lot. She started her career as a small child singing on her father's records, and made her first attempt at a solo career when she was just sixteen(!), returning to the field a few years later with the hit record "Assim Que Se Faz," which was her biggest-selling album. She has also worked with her brother, MPB singer Jair Oliveira. Here's a quick look at her work...
Luciana Rodrigues "Luciana Rodrigues" (MoviePlay, 1995)
(Produced by Iranfe Maciel)
Man, she sure looks unhappy on the album cover! Anyway, this was Luciana's debut album, released under her birth name after she had been in the studio in various sessions as a backup musician... This disc didn't sell that well, but it did put her on the radar, and when she returned a few years later, she shook things up...
Luciana Mello "Assim Que Se Faz" (Trama, 2000)
Super-slick, ornately produced soft soul that follows the template set by other Brazilian pop-soul artists. Not my cup of tea, but fans of Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto will probably want to check this out... It was a huge hit album, as was the followup, "Olha Pra Mim."
Luciana Mello "Assim Que Se Faz (Remixes)" (Trama, 2002)
Luciana Mello "Olha Pra Mim" (Universal, 2002)
Luciana Mello "L.M." (Universal, 2004)
Luciana Mello "Nega" (S De Samba, 2007)
Luciana Mello & Jair Oliveira "O Samba Me Cantou" (S De Samba, 2010)
Luciana Mello "6th Solo" (Ape Music, 2011)
