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Maravilhas is the name of the band that inspired the album and it sees LeLeo (pronounced leh-leh oh) join forces with Nara Gil (daughter of Gilberto), Laufer, Ricardo Imperatore and Roger Negão. The result is a stripped down mix of acid jazz and bossa nova with a nod towards fuzzy electronica and tropicalia. Leleo’s rough, gruff voice combines well with the bouncy beats and, at times, spacey melodies.

LeLeo is perhaps best known for his part in Banda Bel’s ode to the Brazilian striker Romário but as a singer, songwriter, composer and producer there’s much more to him than that. He was brought up in a little known place called Copacabana on a diet of The Beatles, Jorge Benjor and Sergio Mendes. The son of a musicologist and a painter, it was not long before he found his way to a local pawn brokers and bought his first guitar.

Performances at school festivals and friends’ parties soon grew in to spots with local sound systems and in 1988 he started Banda Bell and released two albums; O Rei do Rio (1992) and Sambadrome (1994). Around the same time, he began working on film scores and went on to land a place with Warner Brazil as an A&R man. In 1998, he formed his own company and has worked on everything from soundtracks to pop and electronic music.

LeLeo’s sound is clearly influenced by some of those he has worked with (the list includes Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento and Bernado Vilhena) but he retains a style of his own. On Maravilhas there seems to be a tendency to get over excited with the vocal effects but for the most part his grainy rawness is allowed to prevail.

The album opener ‘Ela Briga Comigo’ is the best demonstration of the warmth and power in his voice while the melodic ‘Gisele’ is the one to have you singing along; “take off your clothes Gisele . . .”. ‘Quem Me Salva E O Samba’ is the one for the sambistas out there and ‘Motoboy’ for the rockeiros.

LeLeo is releasing ‘Se Quiser Tem’ as a download only single on October 29th with the full album following on the Acid Jazz label next year.

Links:
www.leleo.net
www.myspace.com/acidjazzrecords

Banda Bel’s ode to the Brazilian striker Romário