Wilson Miranda (1940-1986) was a Brazilian crooner who early on was identified with the teen-oriented rock'n'roll sound of the early 1960s, but found his was into the MPB pop mainstream. Here's a quick look at his work...
Wilson Miranda "Grandes Sucessos" (BMG, 2000)
Wilson Miranda "Sambas E Rocks" (Chantecler, 1960)
Wilson Miranda "Teu Amor E Minha Vida" (Chantecler, 1961)
Wilson Miranda "O Meu Senhor" (Chantecler)
Wilson Miranda "Veneno" (Chantecler)
A cornball crooner who was tagged (in this reissue series) as a "jovem guarda" teen-pop singer, largely on the basis of two staid, midtempo rock covers, including a bilingual cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame." The whole album is pretty underwhelming, with little difference in tone between the samba-cancao and "beguine" numbers and the North American pop covers. Missable.
Wilson Miranda "A Outra Face De Wilson Miranda" (Chantecler, 1964)
(Produced by Roberto Menescal)
A fun album, if a bit corny. Miranda's voice is a nice mix of the avuncular male pop vocals of the old-school radio singers crowd and the more youthful jovem guarda teen scene. The music is pure bossa-meets-pop, with some interesting touches from producer Roberto Menescal, one of the early stars of the bossa crowd, and his fellow arrangers, Oscar Castro-Neves and Ugo Marotta. The arrangements are kind of square, but still more nuanced than some of the more staid, old-fashioned pop of the time. Several songs were written by Menescal; he also plays acoustic guitar on several tracks, with some of Brazil's best jazz players -- including Castro-Neves, Paulo Moura, J. T. Mierelles and others -- sitting in on the session. Not earthshaking, but nice. Worth a spin, if you're in a nostalgic mood.
Wilson Miranda "Tempo Novo" (RCA, 1965)
Corny, bombastic pop vocals of the 'Fifties-style old school... By '65 Miranda was ready to shed his teenybopper roots and record an album of schmaltzy samba cancao and brassy bossa nova covers, ala Nelson Goncalves or Tito Madi. Somehow, though he doesn't summon quite enough corniness to make this feel fun or kitschy... Antonio Adolfo, Erlon Chaves and Chico Moraes split the arrangements, with Adolfo fronting the 3D Trio on one track... The very last song, Ze Keti's "Bo-Do," has a little more bounce to it, but the album itself isn't much to write home about. It just sounds a bit irritating, mostly.
Wilson Miranda "Pra Quando O Amor Chegar" (RCA)
Wilson Miranda "No Puedo Olvidarte: Wilson Miranda En Castellano" (RCA, 1969)
Wilson Miranda "Recorda" (Alvorada, 1977) (LP)
Wilson Miranda "Relevo" (Continental, 1978) (LP)
