Uruguayan by birth, Brazilian pop vocalist Taiguara spent time as an exile both in England and Tanzania after his political activism rendered him unacceptable to militaristic elements in the Brazilian government. Considering how tame his early recordings sound, few would ever guess that this gentle pop singer had many dozens of songs banned. Released in 1969, Hoje ("Today") was his fifth record album, and his second for the Odeon label. It was reissued on compact disc in 2007 by EMI. This is late-'60s Brazilian production pop with rather subdued contours, the instrumentation carefully couched in various combinations of piano, acoustic guitar, reeds, brass, strings, and occasional period electronic effects, which seem most likely to occur when Taiguara harmonizes with an anonymous dulcet-toned female singer. Those lightly trippy moments aside, this understated mainstream pop music will barely ripple the surface of the average listener's attention span. But it is pleasant, wistful, and relaxing.
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