Lúcio Alves was an influence on Brazil's twin paragons of postwar music,
Antonio Carlos Jobim and
João Gilberto. For that alone, he deserves respect. But
Alves also had the most beguiling male voice in the country and one of the longest careers in the Brazilian entertainment business (from the mid-'30s to the mid-'80s). The Verve collection
Pure Bossa Nova isn't very long, featuring only 14 songs, but it includes some of
Alves' best work of the bossa nova era: "Cheiro de Saudade," "Dindi," and "O Samba da Minha Terra." ~ John Bush