by John Bush
Recorded the same year as Gil e Jorge, his brilliant collaboration with Jorge Ben, Refazenda keeps up the pace, but in a completely different way. Instead of the acoustic Brazilian folk of Gil e Jorge, Gil focuses on breezy pop. &Jeca Total,& &Ê, Povo, Ê,& &Tenho Sede,& and the title track are dominated by flute, accordion, horns, and gentle strings. Gil is in excellent voice, whether he's delivering a driving song like &Essa é Pra Tocar No Rádio& or more intimate ballads like the last two tracks, &Lamento Sertanejo& and &Meditação.& Though &Pai e Mãe& and a few other tracks are slightly reminiscent of the Gil e Jorge LP, Gil reasserts himself here as the pop star whom all of Brazil had expected him to be.