The new album from the Brazilian singer and songwriter Mona Gadelha has just arrived. It is the third album from the artist with fresh Brazilians sounds. It starts with an old Carnival march, "Bloco da Solidão", written by the duo Evaldo Gouveia/Jair Amorim and recorded by Maysa and Altemar Dutra. The track was produced, arranged and played by Fernando Moura, a piano player from RIO, Fernando Moura, with percussion played by Marcos Suzano, and drum´n´bass grooves. It sounds like a Jazz tune. The record goes on with a strong influence of electronic music resources such as samplers, loops, noises, effects, texture that melts with Brazilian songs, bossa, samba, jazz and rock (played in Ballad style from the remake of "A Última Guerra", from Samuel Rosa, Lô Borges and Rodrigo Leão).
Besides recording a carnival classic she also did a new version for standard Billie Holiday´s "Love me or Leave", which in the Portuguese version written by Fernando Cali Pereira called "Suspense", was turned into a d&b samba-song also produced by Fernando Moura.
To reach the multisound environment she wanted, the Singer counted on the talent of five producers: Fernando Moura, Alexandre Fontanetti (the producer of her first cd), Alvaro Fernando (produced a few tracks from her second CD), DJ Mau Sacht, Paulo Bira and also on Italian DJ and Producer Roby J.C., who did the remix 13 th track "Saint-Denis-Ceará - Panaphonic". "It was outstanding to work with all these producers", says Mona. "From each one of them I got suggestions, partnerships and new experiences".
The tracks produced by DJ and guitar player Mau Sach ("Saint-Denis-Ceará", "Na Estação" and "29 Beijos", with house groove and Brazilian percussion) brings the producer signature.

With the new CD, Mona settles her work on the contemporary MBP, mixing rhythm and styles, in an album that it's full of feminine features - with her fantasies, dramas, discoveries and adventures. The work is a result of her attachment with the songs and her traveling around Europe (she went twice to Midem, performed in Germany and went to Womex, in Spain). In Paris, she met Valdo Aderaldo, a songwriter from Ceará, from whom she recorded "Saint-Denis-Ceará" (partnership with Celso Gutfreind), that became her video, one electronic diary of her trip to France, edited by the VJ and Director Fabiana Prado (the same from Mona's first video, "Cinema Noir").
"Tudo se Move", title inspired by the work of a Polonius Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, also count on the participation great musicians taking part in the 13 tracks, such as the piano players Fernando Moura, Lelo Nazário e Jether Garothi, the percussion players Marcos Suzano e Alvaro Fernando ( producer and author of two tracks from the CD - "Felicidade pra Mim" and "Escuro"), the bass players Caco Faria and Paulo Bira (producer and author of "De Onde Você Vem?", from the repertoire of Nomad, pioneer reggae band from São Paulo), the guitar-violin players Alex Fornari, Edu Gomes and Alexandre Fontanetti (producer and arranger of "A Última Guerra" and "Louca,Nua").
As a songwriter, Mona signs partnership with Moura (in "Tudo se Move" and "Noturna", one ballad lounge with French accent), Ricardo Cunha (in the unusual bossa "Louca, Nua") and Sergio Cruz (in the dance tune "Na Estação").
Since the release of her second CD ("Cenas & Dramas"), Mona has had own label, which has also developed into a cultural producer company, the Brazilbizz Music. Her first album, released by Movieplay had some hits played in Brazilian stations like "Cinema Noir", "Cor de Sonho" e "Imagine Nós". With the invitation to join a compilation in Spain ("Músicas do Caribe e da América Latina" - FNAC), the Singer started to focus also on the international market as well, performing in German cities in 2002 (She sang to 1500 people in a public space).
In her second album, "Cenas & Dramas", Mona showed maturity on in her work and a taste for electronic resources, such as the track "O Amante", acid jazz with a drumming sequence. On "Tudo se Move" she definately incorporates the electronic beats as a Standard for the whole Record, always having as basis, the styles that define her work like Rock, MPB and jazz.
The album "Tudo se Move" was released by the label Brazilbizz Music, of which the Singer is a member, with distribution by Tratore.

See pictures

Release BRAZILBIZZ MUSIC (2004) - DistributionTRATORE

Saint-Denis-Ceará (Valdo Aderaldo/Celso Gutfriend)

"Cenas & Dramas press release"

Mona Gadelha releases her second cd "Cenas & Dramas"

The singer Mona Gadelha is releasing her second album, "Cenas & Dramas", filled with eletronics intervention combined with simple and relaxed rythms.

Cenas & Dramas is trip hop, distorted and melody guitars with tons of ballad, blues and vaudeville. It is a pure reflex of the consistent life of this singer who was born in Ceará and lives in São Paulo.

More cosmopolitan, she comes with her second album, maturing the ideas of the first one, "Mona Gadelha", which brought songs like "Cinema Noir", propagated in some national radio stations and MTV. The video clip debuted in other countries like Mexico, Spain and Portugal, confirming the versatility of the artist. It's normal to expect this album to be more successful than the first one; Mona is singing and composing better than ever. The compositions depict facts of life: home desertion, passsion, disillusionment, and loneliness. Such themes match perfectly with the "bluesy" voice of Mona. Cinema is another motive of her songwriting. Songs like "Cine Insane Blues", "Mais um Romance" and "Johhny Vai Pra Guerra?" suggest short movie stories. By the way, "Crepúsculo de uma Deusa" is a suggestive song that mixes trip-hop and pop with a Brazilian stress. The songs on the album have many accents, as well as scenes and dramma; they are destined to become hits. In a productive scene of female voices, Mona Gadelha is an artist that deals in a way not orthodox to MPB, pop rock, and blues. Although these are her influences, Mona has her own unique style. Produced by André Magalhães (Aquilo Deu Nisso's drummer) and Álvaro Faria (awarded VU studio producer of publicity soundtracks), the new album has the special participation of Lelo Nazario, Toninho Ferragutti, Cesar Maluf, Mauricio Pereira, Paulo Padilha, Claudio Faria, Emerson Vilani and Ricardo Cunha. Besides her own songs, Mona sings the compositions of Edvaldo Santa and Lobão, and new talents like Fernando Pereira, Marcos Andrada e Wilson Ferreira (Vultos, a band from São Paulo in the 80's), the fellows Lúcio Ricardo and Siegbert Franklin (author of the album cover & partner of Mona Gadelha.)

Text by Sérgio Barbo (critic and music researcher)

Mona Gadelha's comments about the songs on the album:

1. Crepúsculo de uma Deusa (Mona Gadelha) - When I watched "Sunset Boulevard" (Crepúsculo dos Deuses) I was very impressed with an interpretetion of Gloria Swanson, as "Norma Desmond". I'started thinking about the fame and the decadence. I wrote the song almost like a lullaby to "sleep stars".

2. Mais um Romance (Mona Gadelha) - Born with a nostalgic intendment of "disco music," but the arrangement of Álvaro Faria brought another language and more sensuality.

3. Johhny Vai Pra Guerra? (Mona Gadelha) - A dialogue with teenagers. I made it thinking of a 17 year-old friend who wanted to leave his parents.

4. O Amante (Mona Gadelha) - A joke with infidelity - this feeling that sometimes assaults all of us human beings.

5. Farsantes Amantes (Marcos Andrada/Wilson Ferreira) - Music from the times of the band "Vultos", pioneer of rock music of São Paulo in the 80's. It was released in a Vultos LP and we decided to record it again with another arrangement. I even went to one of their concerts when I first arrived in São Paulo in '86.

6. Bem-Me-Quer (Onde você anda?) (Siegbert Franklin/Mona Gadelha) - This is one of my partnerships with the singer, guitarist, and designer Siegbert Franklin from Ceará. When we were teenagers in Fortaleza, we created the rock band "Kaleidoscopio". That was the end of the 70's and we were having fun being rebels in Ceará.

7. Ouvindo o Coração (Edvaldo/Gildo Passos) - Edvaldo is one of my favorite composers. When I made my first album he prepared a cassette with various music I liked. The first one I recorded was "Sinal". This is Blues, absolutely passionate.

8. Duro (Fernando Pereira) - Fernando is another composer I adore. This is the first time he has recorded and I feel honored with that. I had a cassette with many of his songs, but "Duro" was remembered by Álvaro Faria. These are lyrics I would like to have written.

9. Cine Insane Blues (Lúcio Ricardo) - Lúcio Ricardo is a singer and composer from Ceará. Together with Siegbert Franklin they were the legend rock group "Perfume Azul" in Fortaleza. We did many shows together and I am happy for being able to record him. That'samy homage to the generation that initiated a pop-rock scene in Ceará.

10. Por Tudo Que For (Lobão/Bernardo Vilhena) - I adore the songs of Lobão and this is one of my favorities. I played this song for André on a cassette - just voice and acoustic guitar. He suggested to do this, with fewer instruments and in lower tune.

Reviews: the critics'opinion

"Mona's approach flutters between what Rita Lee did in the 70s and what Zélia Duncan does in the 90s, with consistent results in powerful pop melodies such as the tunes Cinema Noir and Pobre Rapaz, and in lyrics with an existentialist coloring such as in Fugitivo and Ilha as well as in precise vocals such as in Cor de Sonho ".

Pedro Alexandre Sanches - Folha de S.Paulo (São Paulo)

"Ceará-born singer Mona Gadêlha starts off with an excellent debut solo album. Her style mingles MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) and rock music in amusing balance".

Luís Antonio Giron - Gazeta Mercantil (São Paulo)

"Ceará native Mona Gadêlha starts the conquest of a place of her own. Her first album is out this month with a good mix of pop and blues".

Mauro Ferreira - 0 Globo (Rio de Janeiro)

"Elegantly urban, her approach brings to us the background of this fine singer, both her experience with rock music in Fortaleza in the 70s and that of her past ten years in the São Paulo capital".

Marcelo Froes - International Magazine (Rio de Janeiro)

"One of the very few exceptions outside the Rio-São Paulo axis to create excellent blues-rock".

Marcelo Dolabela - ABZ do Rock Brasileiro (Brazilian Rock ABZ)

"Few albuns can have their essence compared to the literary-musical sincerity of the Mona Gadêlha CD. In it, the artist bares her feelings, with no apologies, and expresses with poetical mastery the deepest side of her daily blues. The tunes appear track after track as if they were flowing out of an enlighted couch, enchanted and cut and polished melodically and harmonically to soothe the soul".

Flávio Paiva - Jornal O Povo (Ceará)

"Mona Gadêlha is an MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) and pop-rock product meant to send dullness straight to the stratosphere. Mona is not merely a promise of good music. The recording company Movieplay is gambling right and for high stakes and whosoever follows the outcome shall see they are doing rightfully so".

Ivana Moura - Diário de Pernambuco (PE)

Check out Mona´s History