Tony Mola - Samba+Samba

All Music Guide

Bahian percussionist Tony Mola set out to make a concentrated, allencompassing, alldrumsblazing samba album and indeed, he has come up with a beauty. From start to finish, this CD percolates to several variants of samba in threetofourminute bites irresistible, tuneful, joyous, sometimes surprising in its reach. The first track, "Conversa de Botequim," could be labeled Afrosamba the groove of the Afrobeat masters mixed with the percussion of Bahia and a number of other sambas on the CD openly betray their African roots and tributaries. Vocalist Gilson Babilonia sounds as if he has been studying Gilberto Gil closely and wisely; his singing has the same lithe, agile flexibility, tripping lightly over the groove. Now and then, he is spelled by the smoothertextured, relaxed vocals of Carlinhos Marques and on the oddly calypsoflavored "Toma Uma Beijoca," the singer is Tarsis Novaes. The playful flutes on "Beregede" and several other tracks belong to Letieres Leite. And throughout the ...disc, on a percussion shop full of instruments, Mola keeps the grooves floating along, never too heavy in accent, gently yet insistently pushing the beat. Give it a spin; you may never take it off. - Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide Read more Less