Gal Costa Albums (36)
'Songs: Tom Jobim'
Release Date 3/4/2009
Tracks 24
Label Sony/BMG Brazil
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'Gal Costa (Cinema Olympia)'
Release Date 6/10/2008
Tracks 9
Label Dusty Groove
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What The Critics Say
After Caetano Veloso broke out with his solo debut, the self-titled 1968 release recognized as the building block for the now infamous Brazilian Tropicalia movement, his friends and musical peers released similar albums, always upping the ante in terms of outrageousness and inventiveness. This release, the second of two self-titled albums released by Gal Costa in 1969, set the high watermark in terms of overall insanity and complete experimental freedom for the entire lot; not Veloso nor Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, or even the rambunctious Os Mutantes stepped this far out into psychedelia, and even though Costa had hinted at the noisier aspects she was interested in exploring with her previous release, this album must have shocked listeners when it arrived on the shelves. In fact, 35 years of MPB -- or music from anywhere else in the world for that matter -- hasn't heard another sonic assault quite like this. Costa is a ball of contradictions here: overtly wild but in control; sweet and accessible, yet brash; and, at times, almost violent as she screams and moans her way through the album while spindly, whiny guitars mix with soulful bass grooves, bombastic drums, exotic horns, woodwinds, and strings. The sonic textures are taken completely over the top with judicious use of delays, reverbs, and various production techniques new and exciting at the time. When taken all together, the listener may not at first notice the high quality of the songwriting for the unreal, emotional freak-outs laced throughout the performances. Costa's crazy improvisations over Caetano Veloso's tune "The Empty Boat" serve as evidence of this delightful impulsiveness when placed side by side with Veloso's own rather forward-thinking recording of the song, which sounds positively conservative by comparison. All in all, Gal Costa is an indescribable, unpredictable, ambitious, and fun record preserving a slice of time when Brazil was at its most controversial state musically and politically and is a must-have for any psychedelic collection. ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This strikingly lovely album was originally recorded in 2003, when the great Brazilian singer Gal Costa was preparing for a gala outdoor concert that was expected to take place in Rio de Janeiro; unfortunately, the funding fell through and the concert never took place. What emerged from the ashes of that disappointment was this studio album, on which Costa looks back on the music of her childhood in the 1940s and '50s -- Brazilian music that predates the bossa nova era. These are songs written by artists who are legends in Brazil but are far less famous outside of their native land: Dorival Caymmi, Evaldo Gouveia, Dolores Duran, and others. Wisely, Costa and her arrangers refrained from trying to replicate the exact sounds of the older recordings, and instead have created modern but respectful new arrangements that prominently feature strings as well as electric instruments, accordion, and winds. Costa was approaching her seventh decade as she made these recordings, but she sings with the voice of someone less than half her age -- her pitch is secure, and her voice is alternately clear and ringing and smoky and sultry depending on the needs of the song. Particular highlights include an especially lovely arrangement of "Kalu," a baião written by Humberto Teixeira, and an Ary Barroso samba titled "Pra Machucar Meu Coração," but everything on this album is of the highest quality. Very highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Brazilian music legend and superstar (the Brazilians never, ever forget their heroes, they keep buying their records and attending their concerts until they drop) Gal Costa played to a very small jazz club crowd at the Blue Note in New York City in May of 2006. This recording on the DRG label is the complete recording of that performance. Costa was accompanied by a jazz quartet that included bass, drums, guitar, and reed and woodwind instruments. She performed a complete bossa nova repertoire, whose roots and popularity were a full musical generation before her own coming of age during the tumultuous and wildly creative tropicalia movement of the late 1960s and early '70s that threatened the nation's government. Most of what's here are the classics, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, Dorival Caymmi, Ary Barroso, and Herivelto Martins: "Corcovado," "Desafinado," "Garota de Ipanema," "Triste," "Wave," and more. And are they ever elegant. The band's playing is slippery and fluid behind her, weaving hypnotically, imparting rhythms and textures through the middle of that glorious voice, a shade lower than it used to be but with all that breezy elegance. There are a couple of surprises, however; Costa's readings of the standards "I Fall in Love Too Easily," and a beautiful medley of "Coisa Mais Linda E" and "As Time Goes By" are a bit inconsistent, but the only real problem with this set is that it seems to flit by in an instant, though its 17 cuts add up to over an hour. This is an utterly enchanting and beautiful recording. All bossa fans should have it. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Hoje is Gal Costa's first release on her new record label, Trama, and was released in the same year Gal turned 60. (It was released stateside a year later and retitled Today.) Most of the tracks are composed by young, still rather unknown composers such as Moisés Santana, Junio Barreto, Tito Bahiense, Moreno Veloso, Nuno Ramos, and Marcos Augusto. From Gal's own generation, the illustrious duo Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque contribute with "Luto" and "Embebedado," respectively. The move to the young, hip label Trama seems to have done good for Gal, as Hoje is her most dynamic and fresh-sounding album in years. But although the songwriters who contributed to the album may be comparatively young, the music in itself is largely traditional, ranging from bossa nova and Afro-Brazilian folk music to Gal's typical brand of soft ballads. One of the most surprising and welcome songwriting contributors to Hoje is the African artist Lokua Kanza, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together with Carlos Rennó, he forms what proves to be a very fine songwriting team. Their lovely ballad "Te Adorar" brings out the best of Gal and is perhaps the most beautiful song on the album. The opening track, "Mar e Sol," with its harmonic, billowing melody, is another little gem by Kanza and Rennó. ~ Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide
'Divino Maravilhoso: Gal Costa Interpreta Caetano Veloso'
Release Date 12/13/2005
Tracks 36
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
Hoje is Gal Costa's first release on her new record label, Trama, and was released in the same year Gal turned 60. (It was released stateside a year later and retitled Today.) Most of the tracks are composed by young, still rather unknown composers such as Moisés Santana, Junio Barreto, Tito Bahiense, Moreno Veloso, Nuno Ramos, and Marcos Augusto. From Gal's own generation, the illustrious duo Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque contribute with "Luto" and "Embebedado," respectively. The move to the young, hip label Trama seems to have done good for Gal, as Hoje is her most dynamic and fresh-sounding album in years. But although the songwriters who contributed to the album may be comparatively young, the music in itself is largely traditional, ranging from bossa nova and Afro-Brazilian folk music to Gal's typical brand of soft ballads. One of the most surprising and welcome songwriting contributors to Hoje is the African artist Lokua Kanza, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together with Carlos Rennó, he forms what proves to be a very fine songwriting team. Their lovely ballad "Te Adorar" brings out the best of Gal and is perhaps the most beautiful song on the album. The opening track, "Mar e Sol," with its harmonic, billowing melody, is another little gem by Kanza and Rennó. ~ Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide
'Todas As Coisas E Eu'
Release Date 12/16/2003
Tracks 15
Label Som Livre
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'Gal Revisitada: De Domingo 1967 A Minha Voz 1982'
Release Date 11/25/2003
Tracks 15
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