The Minas Gerais band releases the second volume of ‘De Volta ao Novo’ after almost a year. The album reserves surprises such as a tribute to Rita Lee and collaborations with Sérgio Britto and Lucas Silveira
Is love fast? Sadistic? Sometimes tragic? Magical? For the band of Minas Gerais Jota Quest“love can be whatever it wants.” It is in search of answers about what love is and, more importantly, what Jota Quest itself is that the group launches volume 2 of Back to the Newthe first new album in eight years.
The second part of the album comes at an interesting time for the band: in the midst of a season of shows all over Brazil, including some in stadiums, the group took the stage at the Allianz Parque to conclude the tour. JOTA25 in the month of June. At the end of this month, Rogerio Flausino still participates in the long-awaited Brazil Day to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rock in Rio.
With so much history, volume 2 of Back to the New sounds like a “synthesis” of the group. After all, what does the band represent for the music Brazilian? Who is Jota Quest, for example, between the legacy of the Titans and the novelties of the beginning of the millennium in Fresno?
Questions are answered I Wanted to Be (song for Rita Lee)collaboration with Titan Sergio BrittoAND Lovers of the seventh art (Replay)made with Luke Silverfrom FresnoThe tone is the same as volume 1, which included songs composed with Vitor Kley and Hebert Vianna, and the release adds 9 new tracks to the Back to the New. There are also five more recorded during the pandemic. In total, there are 23 songs.
The gap between the release of the two volumes was almost a year due to contractual issues regarding a DVD the band had released in the meantime. “We shouldn’t have taken this long,” explains Rogério Flausino in a conversation with the State.
The singer and the keyboard player Marcio Buzelin They welcomed the team of reporters to an office in western São Paulo to assess the band’s legacy and next steps. Above all, Jota Quest, as he sings in the album’s title track, is “at peace with the future.”
Love is magic
Of the 23 songs in the deluxe version of Back to the Newthe vast majority address a common theme: love. A topic that is already omnipresent in Jota Quest’s lyrics. Some might even turn up their noses and find the agenda “superfluous”, but for the group, continuing to talk about love “is a path that is part of the band’s personality”.
“It’s the DNA of Jota Quest,” comments Márcio Buzelin. The “love” in the group’s songs, he explains, “is much broader than the love between a couple.” “[Você] can be interpreted in different ways,” he says.
The theme appears early in the track that opens volume 2: Love is magic (quoted in the first paragraph of the text). Once again the band finds itself “back to the new” with the song: it is, in fact, a version of a hit by the Portuguese duo Expensive Soul. The “new” comes with the rap of FBC from Minas Gerais.
The original song is about the origins of Jota Quest, who was heavily influenced by black music, such as R&B and disco. “There was a connection. When we started, we had two b-boys who were break dancing,” the keyboardist recalls.
Song for Rita Lee
In volume 2, another title from one of the new titles immediately catches your attention: I Wanted to Be (song for Rita Lee). It is the first composition of the group made in collaboration with Sérgio Britto, the third titan to work with Jota Quest. Volume 1 already had a certain connection with the band from São Paulo: with whom Nando Reis had collaborated Only love sets you free and Rick Bonadio, with whom Titãs has already worked, produces the album.
The choice to involve another great name in Brazilian music, Rita Leethe new album came about a bit by chance.”[No estúdio]we started talking to him [Brito] on an album of his that contains a song with Rita Lee [Purabossanova]. I said I loved Rita Lee and he said, ‘I love Rita Lee, too.’ And we just kept talking about her,” Flausino says.
A day after the conversation, the original lyrics by the group’s guitarist, Marco Túlio Lara, received a special change: the line “I wanted to be a Roberto Carlos song” became “I wanted to be a Rita Lee song.” “Rita had just left for a much better place. […] It’s a way to pay homage to her and have another great guy from national rock with us,” says the singer.
Continues…
Volume 2 of the album comes packed with interludes: there are three in total. They were not included by chance and because of the title of the latter, Continues… (Continue…in Portuguese), is pretty self-explanatory: the excerpts show what is yet to come.
“The ‘continued’ is because we continue and another album will be coming soon,” says Flausino. “These interludes are the songs that we haven’t finished and that could be on the album. Who knows, they won’t be on the next one,” Buzelin explains.
The fact that Back to the New When it came to streaming, for the band, it had little impact on the essence of the album. After all, Jota Quest songs have already been on vinyl, CD and mp3. “We’ve gone through different phases. Even when music was a product. Now it’s a service,” Buzelin says.
Back to the New and the band’s other albums are not released solely on the basis of marketing studies: they come to the satisfaction of Flausino, Buzelin, Marco Túlio, PJ and Paulinho Fonseca. “Things are changing, the world is changing and we always have the desire to learn from all of this so that we can keep the band as we always dreamed,” says the keyboardist.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
