Marina Lima
Setembro
Abril Music 1105025-2 (2001)
Time: 50'33"

Marina Lima (born September 1955) is a very complex person. She seems to keep on searching for what she actually wants in life. Which makes her complex. As a person she struggled through a few relationships with men before sharing her life with another woman. She had to beat a depression she was in for something like 5 years. During that time she recorded two albums: Pierrot do Brasil in 1998 (produced by Suba) and Registros a Meia-Voz in 1996. After making up her mind about a lot of things, she satisfied her ego with some restoration works on her body. She felt the urge to show the result through reputation confirming pictures in Playboy. Thus she considered herself ready for the next move in her musical career.

The well received live album Sissi na Sua was the start, and this Setembro is her latest project. Electronics have been a main ingredient in her music for some while now. In the Jornal do Brasil (September 1999) she said about that:

Contact with digital music is in my interest, it gives me resources for composing and creating new sounds and arrangements. I like studying a lot, it stimulates me, helps me evolve musically and helps my relations with other musicians.

The CD Setembro has some pleasant and even surprising consequences of that approach. But also a few horrible ones. Unfortunately, Marina joins in the awful hype to add a few remixes. Never understood why artists do that. Guess it's for no other reason than to extend the duration of the CD. This one reaches 50 minutes, thanks to three remixes! Those remixes seldom are an addition to the original final takes. Other awful moments come with the pounding trip hop beat on "Paris-Dakar", or with the barking dog on "Funkinho do Pedro e das Cachorras." That song is mentioned as a "faixa surpresa." Some surprise: it's one minute of a superfluous joke. Then over to the good things. In the opening tune, "Setembro," you hear the good old Marina Lima in one of her typical modern compositions: relaxed swing, with the singer playing with electronics in a nice way (guitar synth, bass synth, loops). Marina's husky voice sounds at its best in beautiful ballads such as "Dois Durões." The song stands out because of a wonderful mix between acoustic instruments and the loops she and Edu Martin add. Edu Martin is also responsible for the wonderful acoustic bass in this song. Sounds great. The same can be said about "Alguma Prova," where we also hear a tasteful use of the vocoder. Again it's surprising how well an acoustic bass sounds in this music. "Me Diga (Francisca)" has Marina's brother Antonio Cícero sounding like a shadow of Gabriel O Pensador. Antonio Cícero is Marina's long-time partner in composing. On this album he's well represented again co-writing the songs. "No Escuro" is a composition that fits Marina's voice perfectly. The instrumentation forms a smooth and gentle base for the vocals. Armando Marçal adds effective percussion. Throughout the whole CD Gustavo Corsi is noticeably present painting some colour to the music. He's a perfect guitarist in that role. Gustavo is (together with Edu Martins and drummer Cuca Teixeira) also featured in the band on Sisi na Sua. On "Fala (Não Cala)" her other partner in composing, Alvin L., is allowed to say some words too... "Terra à Vista" starts promising, but dilutes a bit in a laborious arrangement. Nice solo on the fretless bass here by Edu Martins.

It's a good Marina Lima CD, if you try to forget the remixes and the freak called "Paris-Dakar"...

Kees Schoof

1. Setembro (Antonio Cícero - Marina Lima)
2. Dois Durões (Marina Lima)
3. Alguma Prova (Marina Lima - Alvin L.)
4. Paris-Dakar (Marina Lima - Alvin L.)
5. No Escuro (Antonio Cícero - Marina Lima)
6. Me Diga (Francisca) (Antonio Cícero - Marina Lima)
7. Notícias (Cláudio Rabello - Marina Lima - Dalto)
8. Fala (Não Cala) (Marina Lima - Alvin L. - Edu Martins)
9. Terra à Vista (Giovanni Bizzotto - Marina Lima)
10. Notícias REMIX
11. No Escuro REMIX
12. Setembro REMIX