Acústico MTV, Vol. 1

AMG Review of Acústico MTV, Vol. 1

All Music Guide

This is the first volume of two acoustic live CDs recorded by Jorge Ben for MTV. On a surprisingly inspired night, he performs some of his best and most popular songs, such as the groovy samba soul "Comanche," the romantic "Minha Teimosia, Uma Arma Pra Te Conquistar," the flowing samba "Roberto, Corta Essa," and the energizing "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)." The slower version of the lovely "Ive Brussel" is a highlight, as is the early-'60s classic "Balança Pema." Ben brings a very luxurious orchestra and string section to accompany him on-stage here, which creates a very lush and sleek sound for the music. Of course, most of the time this sounds very different compared to the original versions, which in most cases were recorded with a much funkier and sparser sound in the '60s and '70s. The musicians are all excellent, but the music lacks much of the nerve and artistic energy of Ben's old recordings. Yet it is very nice to hear these old hits in these new arrangements, and there is no doubt that Ben is in better form here than he has been in a very long time.