Timbalada has always based its music on the traditional timbau drum from Bahia. The group, led by the multi-talented
Carlinhos Brown, incorporated elements of axé pop and turned it into a great commercial success in the early '90s. Since then, even long after
Brown's departure from the group,
Timbalada has been one of the most famous and artistically ambitious projects of the Bahian axé scene.
Pure Brazil: Tribal Bahia brings together several of
Timbalada's finest and most popular songs, such as "Beija-Flor," "Mulatê do Bundê," "Canto Pro Mar," "Toque de Timbaleiro," "Se Você Se For" and "Fricote da Terezinha" -- all full of Afro-Bahian drum rhythms and contagious party energy capturing the essence of the
Timbalada's fascinating timbau sound. Two of the highlights of the collection are "Margarida Perfumada," which is performed live with the legendary
Caetano Veloso and "Papá Papet" another live caption, but this one with the queen of axé music, Ivete Sangalo. ~ Philip Jandovský