Txai
1990 studio album by Milton Nascimento
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Txai is an album by the Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento, released in 1990 in Brazil and in 1991 in the United States.[1][2] It is dedicated to Aliança dos Povos da Floresta, a Brazilian environmental organization.[1] The album title translates roughly to "comrade" in the Kashinawa language.[3] Nascimento supported the album with a North American tour.[4] Txai peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums chart.[5] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best World Music Album".[6]
| Txai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Latin | |||
| Length | 35:50 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producers | Marcio Ferreira, Mazzola | |||
| Milton Nascimento chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
The album was inspired by an 18-day expedition Nascimento made in the Amazon rainforest, along the Juruá River.[7][8] He included field recordings of indigenous Amazonian music, and ensured that royalties were sent to the appropriate tribes.[9][10] "Nozani Na" was composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos.[11] River Phoenix provided a spoken word piece on "Curi Curi".[12]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Calgary Herald | C[13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
The Washington Post wrote that "nearly all of [the songs] are lushly produced and equipped with hummable melodies that often belie the grave concern for the equatorial region that Nascimento expresses through his Portuguese lyrics."[16] Entertainment Weekly determined that "musically and conceptually, Txai wanders more than it should."[12] The Chicago Tribune deemed Txai "sort of a travelogue of the Amazon rainforest."[17] The Edmonton Journal concluded that Nascimento's "voice—all alone, in reverberating harmonies, polyphony, or in traditional chants—makes for the overwhelming feel of the record."[18] The Calgary Herald dismissed the album as "fake folk."[13] The San Antonio Express-News stated that the album "melds Nascimento's refined melodies with the living sounds of the rain forest and the musical and poetic images of its indigenous peoples."[19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide called "Yanomami e Nós" "hauntingly emotional."[15]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Abertura" | |
| 2. | "Txai" | |
| 3. | "Baü Mētóro" | |
| 4. | "Coisas de Vida (That's Life)" | |
| 5. | "Hoeiepereiga" | |
| 6. | "Estórias da Floresta (Stories of the Forest)" | |
| 7. | "Yanomami e Nós – Pacto de Vida (Yanomami and Us – Pact of Life)" | |
| 8. | "Awasi" | |
| 9. | "A Tercera Margen do Rio (The Third Edge of the Water)" | |
| 10. | "Benke" | |
| 11. | "Sertão das Águas (Hinterlands of the Waters)" | |
| 12. | "Que Virá dessa Escuridão? (What Will Come Out of This Darkness?)" | |
| 13. | "Curi Curi" | |
| 14. | "Nozani Na" | |
| 15. | "Baridjumokô" |