Member-only story
Two Brazilian Cantoras Go Live and Acoustic
Plethora of Pop Rate a Song series
Two phenomenal singers step away from their polished studio hits with disarmingly live versions. Both are in Portuguese — I’m providing some translations here, but if possible, listen / watch first, and then check out the lyrics (and then listen / watch again).
Rate the songs / performances according to whatever criteria you like, but if time permits, please include your reasons in the comments.
Mallu, “Sambinha Bom”
In spite of the fact that her 2013 album Highly Sensitive contains some songs in English and boasts a sophisticated production, Mallu Magalhaes hasn’t achieved much acclaim from the English-speaking world. In this live video, she reveals a more vulnerable and even humorous side. (As she introduces her performance with “Lights, camera” — a bicyclist rides by, so she changes the intro to “Lights, camera, bicycle!”) Her song is a love song not just to a person but to the samba itself, that brings her and her lover back together.
