After film maker Andrucha Waddington finished making his 1996 documentary on Gilberto Gil, Tempo Rei, he recruited Gil to compose and perform music for a drama about a northeastern woman who juggles three husbands in a single household. Gil calls her simply a woman with "a lot of passions." He was happy to take on the challenge of creating a soundtrack because the film touched on one of his own passions, the music of Luis Gonzaga. Gil adapts a number of compositions and trademark songs performed by the legendary singer of foro and baião--northeastern Brazilian party music. Often he reads the songs simply, as Gonzaga would, with lively hand percussion, triangle, accordion and guitar, as on the regional favorite, "Asa Branca" and its festive cousin, "A Volta da Asa Branca."

This folksy, playful set is a welcome addition to Gil's diverse catalogue. Though he composed just two new songs for the project, his personal mark is evident on every track. It takes an artists with Gil's cool to tame a frantic foro like the opener, "Óia eu aqui de novo," with such a velvet touch. Slow and pretty, "Esperando" was composed by a young accordionist from Bahia, and Gil's version has become a hit in Brazil. Gil's funky side gets no play here, and though there are some ballads, and moments where he slips in a few so-called "post bossa nova chords," we also get little of the evocative, jazzy harmonies that infuse Gil's mature compositions. Still, there's no doubting Gil's affection and feel for Gonzaga's repertoire, with its rural beer hall ambiance. He pours his heart into a handful of slower numbers, like "Juazeiro," clearly a favorite. But most of these fourteen tracks kick up the dust in a rowdy celebration of the late Gonzaga.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org