ALBUM DESCRIPTION

You first heard him on Reggae Redemption Songs 2--now get the whole picture. "Avivamente" is Nengo Vieira's latest solo offering courtesy of Bola Music. I am not exaggerating when I declare this project a musical masterpiece in the tradition of Bob Marley and the Wailers.

For years this incredible talent has been singing reggae in Brazil, yet mysteriously flying under the radar of everyone else in the gospel reggae arena. When I met him a few years ago during my first visit to Brazil, the then curly headed talent handed me a copy of his "Somos Libertos" album. I was amazed! Since then he has teamed up with Bola De Neve's Bola Music label (Christafari's Brazilian Distributor) to produce and release some of the best gospel reggae ever recorded.

With Nengo Vieira music ministry is a family affair. Nengo plays virtually every instrument from bass to guitar and keys to organ. His son is one of the best reggae drummers that I have ever heard and his wife and two daughters are like the I-Threes of gospel reggae! Together with a handful of skillful musicians they create an entrancing live show. Their recordings are rich in harmony, deep in grooves and perfectly produced.

While this album is primarily Portuguese, you will find English in songs like "God Bless" that was originally featured on "Reggae Redemption Songs 2," "John Three" (featuring Nengo's wife on lead vocals) and "Dues De Abraao" (God of Abraham). But you don't have to be Brazilian to appreciate the rest of the album. In fact, though I may not be bilingual, my favorite songs are the ones in Portuguese. Just listen to the rustic "Tu es Santo" replete with dark clavinet, cascading riddim guitar and a dense bed of percussion (including the signature samba whistle). On this mesmerizing track Nengo echoes of the holiness of God singing "Tu es Santo" (You are holy).

I first got my hand on an early copy of this release almost a year ago and it is still on heavy rotation at work, home and in my car. In fact my whole band (Christafari) has adopted this CD as our traveling companion as we traverse the world together. "Avivamente" contains real music created by real musicians who genuinely love and serve the Lord. The spirit and quality of this album more than make up for any language barriers that you may have with Portuguese. Simply put--it's the best. Order your copy today!

Review by Mark Mohr