The music created by
Dom Salvador e Abolicao on this album is an extremely funky, smooth, and natural-sounding mixture of different music styles like
samba,
soul,
rock,
jazz,
forro, and
baiao. Considered to be a milestone within Brazilian music, the album has had enormous influence on the sound and development of
Brazilian funk,
soul, and
jazz. Especially the famous
Banda Black Rio, who would follow the lucid path that
Dom Salvador laid with this album. Indeed,
Banda Black Rio's future leading member,
Oberdan, also appears on this record, playing saxophone and flute. Compared to
Banda Black Rio's music, this album is, in general, slightly more
pop- and
rock-styled, with more direct and distinct melodies.
Dom Salvador e Abolicao also use a wider variety of music styles in the various songs on this album than
Banda Black Rio would on theirs. Most tracks on
Som, Sangue e Raca are
instrumental, but the ones with lyrics, as, for example, the dramatic opening track,
"Uma Vida," with its magnificent piano intro played by
Dom Salvador himself, are among the absolute highlights of the album. Another great track with vocals and lyrics is
"Hei! Voce," where '70s
R&B is mixed with typical
baiao tones. Some other tracks that are worth a special mention here are
"Folia de Reis," featuring exciting accordion play; the famous
"Guanabara," featuring
Oberdan's flute; and the great
"O Rio," which starts of as a smooth
funk tune but in the end turns into a
carnival-esque samba. The unique, funky groove of
Dom Salvador e Abolicao turned
Som, Sangue e Raca into one of the best and most important
samba/
soul albums ever recorded in Brazil. ~ Philip Jandovsky