The Importance of Being Espetacular

The avant-garde saxophonist, samba revivalist and Metá Metá co-founder Thiago França has been running the Carnaval charanga band A Espetacular Charanga do França since 2013. Ace compilation The Importance of Being Espetacular gathers a baker's dozen of their finest efforts, showing how the group channel influences from a range of genres, França's complex arrangements making the most of material that points in different directions, yet always harks back to Carnaval.

Beginning with the thrilling brass blast of ‘Hasta la Cumbia’, with its distinctive two-step rhythm, signals that França's take on charanga is wide-ranging; ‘Cadê Renan?’ has a baile funk sensibility with riveting cuica work, and there's a sombre take of Raça Negra's ‘Cheia de Manias’, a schlocky 90s pagode hit. In a more traditional charanga mode, ‘Carnaval Arco-Íris’ and ‘Hino da Charanguinha’, both led by MPB chanteuse Verônica Ferriani, and ‘Vem Desacatar’ with Lucas Santtana keep Carnaval at the heart of the matter. In contrast, ‘Cara do Apetite’, with vocalist Tulipa Ruiz, has a screeching rock guitar lead, and there's an eerie brass-band remake of Metá Metá's ‘Obá Iná’, though ‘Não Para’, the band's take on Michael Jackson's ‘Don't Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, will surely have you rocking on your feet.