Raphael Rabello - see artist discography

Raca Negra "Raca Negra, v.1 (Quero Ver Voce Chorar)" (RGE, 1991)
Although they look like they'd be a thunderous percussion-based samba band, like Timbalada or Olodum, this is actually a remarkably wimpy, wispy pop album, with airy male vocals and an abundance of cheesy keyboard riffs. Yes, the drums are there as well, but they are safely buried in the mix, barely there to lend a faint hint of Afro-anything to this otherwise bland pop offering. You're not missing much here.

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 2 (Pensando Em Voce)" (RGE, 1992)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 3" (RGE, 1992)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 4 (Tempo Perdido)" (RGE, 1993)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 5 (Seu Amor Ja Terminou)" (RGE, 1994)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 6 (E Disso Que Eu Preciso)" (RGE, 1995)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 7" (RGE/Som Livre, 1996)
Sappy, synth-heavy "samabalenco" pop... not unbearable or icky, just kind of nondescript. This is more or less a watered-down, non-bootyshaking modernization of Jorge Ben's classic acoustic samba-pop style. Innocuous, but also unengaging.

Raca Negra "Ao Vivo" (RGE, 1996)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra 8" (RGE, 1997)

Raca Negra "Banda Raca Negra 9" (RGE, 1998)
Well, I guess you can count me among those samba fans who find Raca Negra's version of the "samabalenco" pop sound to be of dubious merit. Admittedly, this is pretty late in the game for these guys (they started in the '80s, and had their first hit in 1992...) but still, the synth-and-flutes arrangements are pretty tacky. Dismal pop radio fare.

Raca Negra "Ao Vivo" (Universal, 1999)

Raca Negra "Vem Pra Vicar" (Universal, 2000)

Raca Negra "Raca Negra" (Universal, 2001)

Raca Negra "Me Leva Junto Com Voce" (Universal, 2004)

Raca Negra "Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2005)

Raca Negra "A Vida Por Um Beijo" (Universal, 2006)

Raizes Do Pelo "Raizes Do Pelo" (Paralelo, 1988)
Cool stuff... Like Ile Aye and Olodum, Raizes Do Pelo specialize in the seductive, loping rhythms of the Bahian Afro-Brasilian percussion style. Nice album, filled with familiar tunes from the late '80s scene.

Raizes Do Pelo "Samba Bahiana" (Interra, 1995)
A fine set of Afro-Brasilian percussion, reprising many of the most popular themes in the style... At first listen, the mix here may seem too muted and soft -- where is the thunder? -- but if you give this disc a few good listens, it'll really grow on you. The softer approach really lets some of the complexities and amazing cross-rhythms come through. This disc may now be hard to find, but it's certainly worth looking for... Recommended!

Elba Ramalho - see artist discography

Ze Ramalho - see artist discography

Raulzinho - see De Souza, Raul

Raulzito - see Raul Seixas

Mauro Refosco & Vinicius Cantuaria "Seven Waves" (M A Recordings, 1999)
Gentle Braz-jazz from the New York scene. Refosco has worked in David Byrne's band, as well as with John Lurie, who guests on the album along with Vinicius Cantuaria and others; Cantuaria wrote or co-wrote about half the tracks on here. This is mainly instrumental, and a bit too noodly and low-key for my tastes -- seems like NYC's downtown scene has veered towards out-and-out mellowness in the last couple of years... who woulda thunk it? Still, this is a nice, delicate jazz album, and might be just the thing you're looking for...

Elis Regina - see artist discography

Reinaldo E Seus Convidados "Pagode Pra Valer" (Warner, 1999)
A nice live album of classic, early-style acoustic pagode, full of cavaquinhos and coros galore. Nothing new here, though that's the appeal -- just fun, bouyant, smile-producing, swinging samba. Recommended!

Reinaldo "...E Seus Convidados, v.2" (Warner-Continental, 2000)

Reinaldo "...E Seus Convidados, v.3" (Warner, 2001)

Reinaldo "Pra Sambar" (Atracao, 2004)

Reinaldo "15 Anos De Samba" (2007)

Dilermando Reis "Dilermando Reis Interpreta Pixinguinha" (Continental, 1972)
An absolutely beautiful solo acoustic guitar album. This tribute to choro pioneer Pixinguinha takes the normally manic pace of these well-known instrumental tunes and slows them to an elegant, sensual pace, bringing it into the more relaxed, resonany tempo of the classical world. It shows just as much virtuosity, just with a very different feel. I love this record: it's very listenable and very lovely, and very unlike most of the other Brazilian music I've heard. Highly recommended! (Reissued on CD as Dilermando Reis Toca Pixinguinha.)

Dilermando Reis "Violao Brasileiro" (Continental, 1975)
Although I didn't find this album as striking as his Pixinguinha tribute, this is still a lovely record, with delicate, delectable guitar work. If you like Baden Powell or Luiz Bonfa, you might wanna check this out as well. Recommended.

Mario Reis "Um Cantor Moderno: Gravacoes RCA-Victor" (BMG-RCA, 2004)
An excellent 3-CD set collecting the formative work of one of the great early samba-cancao stars, with forty-seven classic songs recorded between 1932-35, his complete output for the RCA label. Reis didn't have the same ebullient charm or expressive range of his famed contemporary, Carmen Miranda, but his work has to be counted as some of the best Brazilian pop music of the time. Sure, he's more of a perky cheerleader than serious vocalist, and the toot-tootling horn arrangements may seem monotonous when you listen to one of these discs from start to finish... But once you get drawn into the music's antique, nostalgic aura, it proves to be very rewarding listening. It's also interesting to hear Reis grow as a singer: the first volume is the most brittle-sounding; the fluidity and joyfulness really comes out in Discs 2 & 3. Great historical material with impressive sound quality. Recommended!

Mario Reis "Ao Meu Rio" (Elenco, 1965)
(Produced by Lindolpho Gaya)
Delicious! Reis was well into his middle age when this session was recorded, and he sings with the assurance of experience, as well as with an enduring sense of fun and wit. His style is understated, so are the arrangements, and while this doesn't have the pep and perkiness of his classic recordings, it's still very true to the spirit of old-school samba-cancao. Classy and calm; nostalgic oldies that are easy on the ears -- perhaps a little more sedate than it needed to be, but still a delight if you're a Mario Reis fan.

Mario Reis "Mario Reis" (EMI-Odeon, 1971)
(Produced by Lindolpho Gaya)
Nearly four decades after his heyday, the ebullient entertainer Mario Reis resurfaces for this lively retro set of classic samba-cancao, with bright arrangements by the grand arranger of the day, Maestro Gaya, who delivers a surprisingly restrained sound, much in keeping with Reis' original style. For his part, Mario is obviously a much older man, but the youthfulness and bright, smiling tones of his youth are still there. Indeed, although his voice has deepened, it isn't by much -- by the end of the first song, his original spark still burns brightly, and he'll still charm listeners as he did in the '30s. It's not the same as the old stuff, but it's still pretty nice.

Nando Reis "Para Quando O Arco Iris Encontrar O Pote Do Ouro" (Warner-Brasil, 2000)

Nando Reis "Infernal" (Warner-Brasil, 2001)
Impassioned, pointedly noisy, hard rock from the bass player of the fabled BRock band, Titas. This is commercial stuff, trying its hardest to sound edgy and alternative. I don't really enjoy this kind of music when it's sung in English; the fact that it's a Brazilian album only slightly mitigates the irritating qualities. Mostly it's the cheesy, wanky, wailing electric guitars and the attempt to substitute kinetic energy in place of compositional strength that bugs me the most. Joe Satriani, Smashing Pumpkins... meet Mr. Nando Reis.

Nando Reis "12 De Janeiro" (Warner-Brasil, 2002)

Nando Reis "Com Vida" (Warner-Brasil, 2003)

Nando Reis "A Letra A" (Universal, 2003)

Nando Reis E Os Infernais "MTV Ao Vivo" (Universal-Brasil, 2005)

Nando Reis "Essencial De Nando Reis" (Warner-Brasil, 2002)
A best-of set covering his Warner years...

Nando Reis "Sim E Nao" (Universal-Brasil, 2006)
A best-of set featuring Reis and his band, Os Infernais.

Sergio Reis "Serie Bis - Jovem Guarda" (EMI, 2000)
The teenybop pop roots of Northeastern sertanejo singer Sergio Reis... I haven't heard this set yet, but I'm pretty curious about it...

Sergio Reis "Sergio Reis" (RCA, 1983)
Although this disc was one of his best known sets of sertaneja music, and shows Reis decked out on the C&W cowboy gear that is the hallmark of that style, this strikes me as sounding a lot like Italian soft pop. Doesn't do much for me, but it was a big hit, particularly the song "Panela Velha," written by the gaucho singer, Moraezinho.

Renato E Seus Blue Caps - see artist discography

Brazilian Music - More Letter "R"

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