Singin' Alone - Arnaldo Baptista

In 1980, Arnaldo Baptista was hospitalized for psychiatric disorders and threw himself off the third floor of the Hospital dos Servidores Públicos. He survived, but he spent a painful four-month recovery period at the hell's station of that hospital. Aided by his future wife Maria Lúcia Barbosa and radio host Sônia Abreu, Baptista made a full recovery. He then began a series of solo shows entitled Singin' Alone in which he presented himself playing piano and violão. The shows yielded an LP under the same title released in 1982 (nine years after Os Mutantes last LP, A e o Z, released only in 1992) by label Baratos Afins, and was reissued in CD format by Virgin Records in 1996. The conception of the album was similar to Paul McCartney's (1970): he played alone all instruments, ruminating lost illusions. This CD has an unpublished bonus track, where he is joined by other musicians: Baptista singing his hit "Balada Do Louco" for the first time. English lyrics in most tracks are another bonus for international audiences. Musically, the album suffers from some inconsistency in some timbres (especially in the tiny piano sound) and rhythms; if not put in perspective with the intense, dense, almost palpable emotional drive, all the sense is lost. A sincere effort where Baptista balances his past life, metaphysical concerns, and existential credo, it is a document on a tormented mind that strives to reach out and helps to sublimate listeners' own anguish. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide