Luzes da Mesma Luz

A consecrated popular composer with more than 30 years of experience and 200 songs, Eduardo Gudin excels in Luzes da Mesma Luz (his 13th career album), this sophisticated orchestral release. Gudin picked up personally the lead singer (the impeccable and highly personal Fátima Guedes) and all members of the orchestra (including Banda Mantiqueira's Naylor Proveta); wrote all arrangements (all of them written four months before the recording), both lyrics and music for four songs included here, and the music for all others; and invited the visual artist Cláudio Tozzi to illustrate the inlay with six of his works, enhancing the purpose of unity of his conception to the visual level. A retrospective work (Gudin completed 50 years of age soon before the recording), the album revisits creatively his outstanding creations like "Mordaça" (with Paulo César Pinheiro), "Velho Ateu" (with Roberto Riberti), "Verde" and "Paulista" (both with lyrics by J. C. Costa Netto). There also five previously unpublished songs here, like the opening track, the instrumental "Abertura," his first one composed especially for orchestra. The writing evidences a spirit of continuous partnership between voice and orchestra, avoiding a merely decorative use of the latter. A highly recommendable album in all aspects: composition, arrangements, production, execution, and visual presentation.