AMG Review of Gîtâ' [Bonus Tracks]

Alvaro Neder
All Music Guide

This is the CD reissue of the 1974 album and second solo release by Raul Seixas, an important figure of Brazilian rock. Acid critic of establishment, he pardodies several figures of Brazilian showbiz in the rocking "Super-Heróis." "Medo da Chuva" is a tender ballad talking about not being afraid anymore. "As Aventuras de Raul Seixas Na Cidade de Thor" is built in the form of a Northeastern "desafio" (cutting contest), where he delivers his ecological, social, and economical concerns. "Água Viva" brings another delicate moment about a certain lost well. "Moleque Maravilhoso," in big band swing style, is again an ironic and irreverent tune, and the tone is extended to "Sessão das 10," a cynical self-descriptive bolero where he tells how it was to come from Bahia to Rio. The rocking "Sociedade Alternativa" is serious though: the Alternative Society was a movement that John Lennon and Yoko Ono took part in and which intended to build the foundation of a freer and healthier society. The lyrical "O Trem Das 7" is one of the songs that has remained extremely popular through the years. "S.O.S." talks about flying sauces, but underneath his self-ironic calling for the "guy of the flying sauce" one can perceive a true devotion. Social criticism is found in "Loteria de Babilônia," and the ballad "Gitâ," one of his biggest hits, closes the album. [The 2007 edition included bonus tracks.]