One of the best of the early bossa nova songwriters,
Carlos Lyra also revealed a pleasantly intimate voice that made him a parallel to
João Gilberto (he also wrote many songs for
Gilberto's early recordings). The Verve collection
Pure Bossa Nova is rather brief, including only 14 songs (and only ten performed by
Lyra himself), but it does include some of his best work of the '60s: "Você e Eu," "Maria Ninguém," and "Tem Dó de Mim." Aside from
Carlos Lyra's performances, the collection also includes versions of
Lyra songs by
Caetano Veloso,
Nara Leão,
Sylvia Telles, and
Wilson Simonal.