The tenth studio album by one of Brazil's most popular rock bands (more than 5,000,000 albums sold),
Estandarte is
Skank's first collaboration with producer Dudu Marote in more than a decade. Marote was responsible for the two albums that made
Skank superstars in Brazil,
Calango (1994) and O Samba Poconé (1996). However,
Estandarte does not signal a return to the Brazilian reggae linings (clearly inspired by
Os Paralamas do Sucesso) of the band's early years. Neither is it a continuation of the less commercially successful Brit-pop path chosen by the band for their last three albums,
Cosmotron, Radiola, and Carrossel.
Estandarte is, above all, a dance oriented album, one in which all the different genres
Skank has experimented with are smoothly assimilated. An electro-disco/funk patina thus envelops the soul in "Pára-Raio," the hard rock in "Chão," the ballad in "Sutilmente," and the flirtation with electronica in "Saturação," or resolutely comes to the fore in "Escravo" and "Canção Aspera," two tracks that are very likely to rule over Brazilian dancehalls in the summer of 2009. Surprisingly, the first single, "Ainda Gosto Dela," written by the band's leader
Samuel Rosa and influential songwriter/producer
Nando Reis (one of his four contributions to
Estandarte) is perhaps the least representative of the overall sound of the album. Who cares, for this irresistible perfect pop song, featuring guest vocalist
Negra Li, is easily the album's most memorable song, one already on the way to becoming another monster hit for the always dependably fun
Skank. ~ Mariano Prunes