Angelus (album) explained

Angelus
Type:studio
Artist:Milton Nascimento
Cover:Angelus (album).jpg
Released:1994
Label:Warner Bros.[1]
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Angelus is an album by the Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento, released in 1994.[2] [3]

The album peaked at No. 8 on Billboards World Albums chart.[4] It was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best World Music Album" category.[5] Nascimento promoted the album by opening the 1994 JVC Jazz Festival.[6]

Production

James Taylor sang on "Only a Dream in Rio", which also employed a Brazilian accordion.[7] [8] Peter Gabriel duetted on "Qualquer Coisa a Haver Com o Paraiso"; "Estrelada" is a duet with Jon Anderson.[9] [10] Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, and Pat Metheny played on some of the songs.[11] [12] "Hello Goodbye" is a cover of the Beatles song; a few tracks are versions of older Nascimento songs.[13] [14]

Critical reception

The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "a collection of carnival songs, jazz explorations and outright pop ... that celebrates Nascimento as one of the world's vocal treasures while demonstrating his versatility."[15] The Baltimore Sun wrote: "Blessed with lithe, flowing melodies and rich, jazz-tinged arrangements, its lush lyricism hearkens back to Nascimento's great albums of the '70s."[16]

The Milwaukee Sentinel determined that "Nascimento is the mourning dove of Brazilian singers, and he often lapses into keening chants that seem to bespeak of loves lost or funerals attended."[17] The New York Times opined: "Characteristically for Mr. Nascimento's work, Angelus vacillates between kitsch and the sublime and is aimed at fans of both."[18] The Chicago Sun-Times concluded that "the songwriter's homage to the Beatles, a somber and jazzy take on 'Hello Goodbye', boasts an economical string arrangement that would make George Martin proud."

AllMusic wrote that "the state of Nascimento's songwriting imagination remains in a moderate slump, made glaringly evident by the inclusion of so much superior early music."

Notes and References

  1. News: Stewart . Zan . New Year Promises Slew of First-Rate Recordings . Los Angeles Times . 8 Jan 1994 . F9.
  2. Birnbaum . Larry . CD reviews — Angelus by Milton Nascimento . DownBeat . Jun 1994 . 61 . 6 . 39.
  3. News: Preston . Rohan B. . MILTON NASCIMENTO EVOKES SOUND, SPIRIT OF BRAZIL . Chicago Tribune . 27 June 1994 . News . 14.
  4. Web site: Milton Nascimento. Billboard.
  5. Web site: Milton Nascimento . Recording Academy . 20 August 2022.
  6. News: Brazilian Singer Opens JVC Jazz Festival . The Christian Science Monitor . 28 June 1994 . Music.
  7. Web site: Long Ago and Far Away: James Taylor - His Life and Music. Timothy. White. October 28, 2009. Omnibus Press. Google Books.
  8. News: Williams . Richard . The five best sounds of the moment . The Independent . 29 May 1994 . The Sunday Review Page.
  9. Album reviews — Angelus by Milton Nascimento . Billboard . Feb 19, 1994 . 106 . 8 . 56.
  10. News: Gehr . Richard . Playing Music In The Global Backyard . Newsday . 6 Mar 1994 . Fanfare . 13.
  11. News: Bryant . Steve . Milton Nascimento Angelus . The Philadelphia Tribune . 10 June 1994 . 9E.
  12. News: Brock . Wendell . Angelus Milton Nascimento . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . March 5, 1994 . L18.
  13. News: Zwerin . Mike . SHORT CUTS . International Herald Tribune . 6 Apr 1994 . Features . 8.
  14. News: Frieden . Jack . MUSIC REVIEWS . The Virginian-Pilot . March 11, 1994 . Preview . 8.
  15. News: Moon . Tom . BIG NAMES ACCOMPANY BRAZILIAN SUPERSTAR . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 13 Feb 1994 . F1.
  16. News: Considine . J.D. . ANGELUS . The Baltimore Sun . 25 Feb 1994 . Features . 5.
  17. News: Spore . Keith . Lyrical and shimmering, Brazilian music casts rich spell . Milwaukee Sentinel . 18 Mar 1994 . 8E.
  18. News: Miles . Milo . Steamy Echoes From a Sun-Drenched Genre . The New York Times . 8 May 1994 . A30.