A Via Lactea

Via Láctea is the follow-up to Lô Borges' self-titled solo debut from 1972. During the seven years that separated the albums Lô Borges and Via Láctea , Borges had matured enormously as an artist, and this would be his peak performance. Via Láctea is filled with perfect, melodious pop songs characterized by Lô Borges' beautiful and instantly recognizable melodic style and voice. Although the sound of Lô Borges' music is quite unique, it is clearly influenced by the English and American pop and rock scenes and also by the folk music of his home state, Minas Gerais. As often is the case with the music of Lô Borges, the album has a somewhat dreamy atmosphere that is accentuated by fine lyrics, often written by Márcio Borges . As usual on Lô Borges' albums, fellow Clube da Esquina members Beto Guedes and Milton Nascimento made some contributions. Lô Borges' sister, Solange Borges , also makes a rare appearance on the fine "Vento de Maio." The marvelous "Clube da Esquina No. 2," which was an instrumental track on the 1972 album Clube da Esquina , gained lyrics on this album's version which were written by Márcio Borges . Another fantastic track is the slightly Beatlesque "Equatorial," with its beautiful but unusual-sounding electric organ. Other memorable songs on this album are "Via Láctea," "Chuva Na Montanha," and "Ela." These songs have all become classics within Brazilian popular music, and overall Via Láctea is a great pop album by any standards.