Alcione: sophisticated and popular on her 26th album
Singer records brand new sambas, romantic ballads and shares the mic with Caetano Veloso
Rodrigo Faour
24/04/2001
After showing versatility on the track Violão e Voz 
, from Ana Carolina's latest release, Alcione is already in studio recording her 26th album, scheduled for July, on Universal Music. Ever since she signed up to the label, in 1997, Marrom (or Brown, her nickname) had only been involved in special projects: one disc with romantic pagodes (Valeu 
), one disc with her old hits revisited (Celebração ), a tribute to Clara Nunes (Claridade ). Now, she's back with a brand new album, produced by Miguel Plopschi, with artistic direction by Max Pierre and featuring eclectic repertoire.
On a brief break from the recording sessions, Alcione gave AllBrazilianMusic a few hints on the new CD. As usual on her career albums, she will alternate romantic tunes and northeastern folk roots and sambas. Maestros Julinho Teixeira, Ivan Paulo, Jorge Cardoso and Zé Américo wrote the arrangements. "There's a little bit of everything on it, even a tribute-samba to Dona Neuma [historic Mangueira samba school character]", Marrom confirms.
The samba to homage Mangueira's First Lady, dead last July, is bound to be one of the first singles out of the CD. Dona Neuma é a Rosa was written by Arlindo Cruz, Sombrinha and Franco upon Alcione's request. "Marrom told us that we were the right people to write that samba. The lyrics make references to important Mnegueira sambas, such as Onde Estão os Tamborins?, and halfway through it we say that Dona Neuma is a rose, Mangueira's garden will always look beautiful", says Sombrinha. "She was the first woman at Mangueira, the School's actual mother. I believe this samba will become a hit."
From Bahia to Maranhão
Sombrinha's partner, Arlindo Cruz, also wrote A Dor Que Me Visita. "I recorded a song that Tião Motorista wrote with Martinho da Vila, Xodó de Mãe. I think that, after the axé explosion, Bahia forgot about their nicest rhythm, which is the samba-de-roda, and that's why I decided to record it", explains the samba artist who, in fact, had the same idea as newcomer Dudu Nobre, who recorded the exact same samba, two years ago, on his debut album.
But samba-de-roda is not the only feature from Bahia on Alcione's upcoming release. Caetano Veloso, who had recorded with her the samba-reggae Onde o Rio É Mais Baiano, on the album Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba (1994), has now been invited once again to share the mic with Marrom, on Pedra de Responsa, a carimbó written by Zeca Baleiro with Chico César - recorded by César in 1996, on the album Cuscuz Clã , and by Zeca, in the following year, on his debut album, Por Onde Andará Stephen Fry?.
To slit the wrists
In the romantic ballad department, Alcione has recorded Porto D'Alma (Telma Tavares/Tainã). Telma is also a singer and shall release her debut album in June, with guest appearances by Chico Buarque, Hermeto Pascoal and pianist and arranger Leandro Braga, who says the song was written some time ago, and it is about missing "a person who goes away but always comes back to that loving one".
"Woman-composers are ruling. Besides Telma's song, there's one written by Solange Di César which could make people slit their wrists", says Alcione, referring to the samba-tune A Paixão Tem Memória, a collaboration between Solange and jovem guarda star, Ed Wilson. "We restarted a collaboration recently, and intend to write more songs together. The song was going to be named Não Toque em Mim, but Roberta Miranda already had a song with the same verse, so we chose to switch it", says Ed, whose ballad Quem É Você was a Marrom hit.
Always launching new composers and keeping Mangueira's tradition in her heart, Alcione continues her life in MPB facing the delicate task of pleasing her two audiences: the sophisticated and the popular.
, from Ana Carolina's latest release, Alcione is already in studio recording her 26th album, scheduled for July, on Universal Music. Ever since she signed up to the label, in 1997, Marrom (or Brown, her nickname) had only been involved in special projects: one disc with romantic pagodes (Valeu ), one disc with her old hits revisited (Celebração ), a tribute to Clara Nunes (Claridade ). Now, she's back with a brand new album, produced by Miguel Plopschi, with artistic direction by Max Pierre and featuring eclectic repertoire.On a brief break from the recording sessions, Alcione gave AllBrazilianMusic a few hints on the new CD. As usual on her career albums, she will alternate romantic tunes and northeastern folk roots and sambas. Maestros Julinho Teixeira, Ivan Paulo, Jorge Cardoso and Zé Américo wrote the arrangements. "There's a little bit of everything on it, even a tribute-samba to Dona Neuma [historic Mangueira samba school character]", Marrom confirms.
The samba to homage Mangueira's First Lady, dead last July, is bound to be one of the first singles out of the CD. Dona Neuma é a Rosa was written by Arlindo Cruz, Sombrinha and Franco upon Alcione's request. "Marrom told us that we were the right people to write that samba. The lyrics make references to important Mnegueira sambas, such as Onde Estão os Tamborins?, and halfway through it we say that Dona Neuma is a rose, Mangueira's garden will always look beautiful", says Sombrinha. "She was the first woman at Mangueira, the School's actual mother. I believe this samba will become a hit."
From Bahia to Maranhão
Sombrinha's partner, Arlindo Cruz, also wrote A Dor Que Me Visita. "I recorded a song that Tião Motorista wrote with Martinho da Vila, Xodó de Mãe. I think that, after the axé explosion, Bahia forgot about their nicest rhythm, which is the samba-de-roda, and that's why I decided to record it", explains the samba artist who, in fact, had the same idea as newcomer Dudu Nobre, who recorded the exact same samba, two years ago
, on his debut album.But samba-de-roda is not the only feature from Bahia on Alcione's upcoming release. Caetano Veloso, who had recorded with her the samba-reggae Onde o Rio É Mais Baiano
, on the album Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba (1994), has now been invited once again to share the mic with Marrom, on Pedra de Responsa, a carimbó written by Zeca Baleiro with Chico César - recorded by César in 1996, on the album Cuscuz Clã , and by Zeca, in the following year, on his debut album, Por Onde Andará Stephen Fry?.To slit the wrists
In the romantic ballad department, Alcione has recorded Porto D'Alma (Telma Tavares/Tainã). Telma is also a singer and shall release her debut album in June, with guest appearances by Chico Buarque, Hermeto Pascoal and pianist and arranger Leandro Braga, who says the song was written some time ago, and it is about missing "a person who goes away but always comes back to that loving one".
"Woman-composers are ruling. Besides Telma's song, there's one written by Solange Di César which could make people slit their wrists", says Alcione, referring to the samba-tune A Paixão Tem Memória, a collaboration between Solange and jovem guarda star, Ed Wilson. "We restarted a collaboration recently, and intend to write more songs together. The song was going to be named Não Toque em Mim, but Roberta Miranda already had a song with the same verse, so we chose to switch it", says Ed, whose ballad Quem É Você
was a Marrom hit.Always launching new composers and keeping Mangueira's tradition in her heart, Alcione continues her life in MPB facing the delicate task of pleasing her two audiences: the sophisticated and the popular.