Kid Abelha
Coleção
WEA

Kid Abelha has been one of the enduring pop/rock bands in Brazil. They first found success in the 1980s and have continued to maintain their popularity in Brazil with hit songs spanning two decades. The band has just recently released a new CD titled Coleção. As the title would suggest it is a collection of tracks that have been pulled together for this new release.

Rather than a collection of "greatest hits" it is a mixture of tracks that have been recorded for other non-Kid projects, session left-overs and a few new recordings. The majority of these have been recorded during Kid A's more recent history rather than throw backs to their days in the 80s.

First, I have to confess that I am a big fan of lead singer Paula Toller and generally a sucker for really good, catchy pop songs. This collection has hit me with a one-two Paula/Pop punch! The songs seem to have such an allure that I carried the CD with me everywhere for weeks just in case I have a chance to listen to some music!

The first two tracks appear to be new recordings for this release; Pare O Casamento and Deve Ser Amor. These are probably two of the strongest on the CD. Pare seems to be a track that was recorded for a tribute to Wanderlea. It is a very upbeat pop track with strong retro overtones. Deve has an almost Pretenders/Blondie sound to it.

Eu Sei Voar was recorded for the Autolove CD but apparently didn't make the cut - too bad we had to wait until now. It's another winner. Jorge Ben's O Telefone Tocou Novamente and Mas, Que Nada seem to be new recordings, they are great interpretations with Jorge making an appearance on the latter of the two. We also find tracks from the Rider Hits collection (97), the Mutantes tribute Triangulo Sem Bermudas (96 - Que tem Medo de Brincar de Amor). Esoterico from the Gilberto Gil Songbook #2, a track from a compilation called Rei and another outtake from the Iê Iê Iê recording session.

Overall this is a great collection. Although this is a pop CD, there is a diversity of styles which make it interesting to listen to. Each song has it's own sometimes subtle charm that grows on you in different ways. After repeated listens different tracks will blossom in your mind the way that flowers bloom in a Japanese garden.

The packaging is also very appealing. Well documented and lots of tounge in cheek photos of the band and retro oriented graphics.

Copyright © 2000 Mike Manolagas