Often overlooked, Maravilhas Contemporâneas is one of the greatest Brazilian albums of all time and one of the finest recordings on Som Livre. Just listen to Luiz Melodia singing to understand that his music escapes any attempt to strict labelling. Obviously, the Brazilian music tradition is very present on this record but Melodia’s rhythmic sense when using his vocal skills also brings it close to funk or jazz, an idea that is reinforced through the explosive brass arrangements that embrace the whole LP. This album was released in 1976 and marked the confirmation of Luiz Melodia as one of the best artists in Brazil at a time when the local music scene was synonymous with excellence. His first album, Pérola negra, released three years earlier, had featured the outstanding arrangements of Arthur Verocai and the performance of top musicians such as Hyldon or Meirelles, but this second album stands as another essential milestone in his career and further proof of his formidable talent. One of the tracks included here, ‘Juventude trasviada’, was featured in the soundtrack of a popular Brazilian soap opera, Pecado Capital, boosting the artist’s increasing popularity. The creative freedom and the wide range of influences managed by Luiz Melodia reach their peak in that wonder entitled ‘Baby Rose’, a song that evolves from cosmic psychedelia, including the sounds of the sitar, to the peaceful beauty of some kind of highly tuneful samba funk. Sublime. ‘Questão de posse’ features fierce proggy guitars while ‘Veleiro azul’ adds Latin rhythms into this unique recipe, but again, it is the talented voice of Luiz Melodia what grants this recording a pass to another league. Maravilhas Contemporâneas deserves to be filed next to the finest albums by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben or Gilberto Gil.