Tribalistas (, ) is the debut studio album by the Brazilian musical supergroup Tribalistas, released on 4 November 2002, on the independent record label Phonomotor, distributed by EMI. Brazilian musicians Arnaldo Antunes, Carlinhos Brown, and Marisa Monte were personal friends and had regularly attended one another's performances. In 2001, Monte was invited to contribute vocals to one of the tracks on Antunes' fifth studio album, Paradeiro, which Brown was producing in Salvador, Bahia. The visit, which was scheduled to last just two days, ended up lasting a week. During this time, they composed 13 songs at once and, after discussing what to do with the songs, they decided to record them together. The project was recorded between 8–24 April 2002, in the studio designed in Monte's house in Rio de Janeiro, under the musical production of the singer herself, with the help of Antunes, Brown, and musician Alê Siqueira.
During the development of Tribalistas, the trio decided to incorporate different musical genres into their composition, such as pop, samba, bossa nova, and 1970s tropicália. The trio's use of tropicália was suggested by the media as an attempt to emulate the sound of Novos Baianos, just as the concept of a supergroup was compared to the formation of Doces Bárbaros. Lyrically, it explores disparate themes, such as love relationships, and the Brazilian Carnival. As well as composing all the songs, the performers provided a variety of instruments for the work, with Dadi Carvalho and Cézar Mendes being the only two other musicians credited on its instrumentation. Singer Margareth Menezes, for her part, contributes vocals and guitar to one track, to which she was invited to contribute after visiting the Tribalistas in the studio.
After its release, Tribalistas was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority praising the cohesive union between the disparate styles of the three performers and their vocals. Many singled out Monte's vocals for praise, though others said that her excessive participation made it sound like one of her solo works. The album received five nominations at the 4th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Pop Album in Portuguese. It was also well received commercially; in Brazil, it topped the album sales charts published by IstoÉ Gente magazine for several weeks, 23 of which were consecutive. Internationally, it was also well received, reaching number one in Portugal, number two in Italy, and the top 100 in France, Spain and Switzerland. The album received a diamond certification issued by Pro-Música Brasil (PMB) and a platinum certification awarded by from the Portuguese Phonographic Association (AFP), among other associations. Worldwide, it has sold more than 3 million units.
Two singles were released by Tribalistas. The first, "Já Sei Namorar", entered the charts in several countries, such as Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal, and received a gold certificate from the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) for sales of 100,000 units in Italy. "Velha Infância", the second track on the album, also achieved commercial success and became the most played song of the 2000s. The trio undertook minimal promotion for the album, giving only a few interviews with media outlets and performances at the Latin Grammy ceremony in Miami and at the Verona Arena amphitheater in Verona, Italy. A video version of the work, containing behind-the-scenes footage of its production and recording, was shown by TV Globo.
Background
Brazilian musicians Arnaldo Antunes, Carlinhos Brown and Marisa Monte have collaborated relatively frequently on each other's work since the beginning of their careers. The first contribution came on Monte's debut album, Mais (1990), which was preceded by the single "Beija Eu", co-composed by Antunes. Her partnership with Brown began in 1994, when he was invited to collaborate on her next album, Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão. From then on, the two also began a close friendship. Brown even described her as his "spiritual sister" years later. Monte's relationship with Antunes came shortly afterwards, when the three of them wrote and produced tracks for Monte's double album, Barulhinho Bom (1996). She was co-producer of Brown's second studio album, Omelete Man, which featured compositions by Antunes, who subsequently added lyrics written by Brown to his project Um Som (1998).
In 2000, Monte released his next album Memórias, Crônicas, e Declarações de Amor. The Brown song "Amor I Love You" became the project's first single and the driving force behind its sales, which exceeded 1 million units in Brazil and earned it a diamond certification from Pro-Música Brasil (PMB). It also earned Monte a nomination for Best Brazilian Song at the 2nd Latin Grammy ceremony. During the recording of the song, Antunes participated by reciting an excerpt from the book Cousin Bazilio (1978), written by the Portuguese diplomat Eça de Queiroz.
Recording and production
In March 2001, Antunes recruited Brown and the musician Alê Siqueira to produce his fifth studio album, Paradeiro. The production and composition sessions began shortly after at the Ilha dos Sapos studio, located in the Candeal neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia. Shortly after, they invited Monte to the location for a special guest appearance, contributing vocals to the title track of this album, which she also co-wrote. The recording was quick, but the singer ended up staying with them for an entire week, thus collaborating with Antunes and Brown on the creation of new compositions. In a conversation with Nelson Motta, Monte detailed how the process emerged: "We didn't meet to compose an album. I went to record with Arnaldo, then I knew I would spend a few days with him, I brought some things from here, he had some ideas there, and naturally, when the three of us got together, these songs started to be made and finished".
Monte brought to the studio a demo tape containing drafts of lyrics that she had previously started working on alone or something she had begun creating with Brown on another occasion but had not had the opportunity to finish. She explained: "Sometimes something Brown and I had started, we would finish with Arnaldo; sometimes something I brought from earlier; sometimes something they had started, and I added some detail". She also mentioned that the creative process took place every night, "and each night we would make two more [songs] and sing the ones that had been made the day before". During the process, the trio received a visit from Margareth Menezes. According to them, the singer visited the studio on more than one occasion, spending the entire day watching them compose and play the pieces they were creating, which motivated them to involve her in some of them. By the end of that week, Antunes, Brown, and Monte had written about 20 songs together, three of which were developed with additional contributions from other collaborators such as Menezes, Davi Moraes, Cezar Mendes, and Pedro Baby.
Subsequently, the three resumed their individual career commitments; Monte continued the tour supporting Memórias, Crônicas, e Declarações de Amor (2000), which was recorded in audiovisual format and released later that year. Antunes released Paradeiro in October and began a tour to promote it. Brown dedicated himself to producing albums for Timbalada and Menezes. However, through phone calls and occasional meetings, they continued refining the compositions, and after discussing what to do with each one, they agreed to record them together. In April 2002, during a time when each member had fewer professional obligations, they decided to finally bring the project to fruition. The artists gathered at Monte's personal studio, located in her house in the Gávea neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, on the 8th of that month. With just two days of rehearsal, the recordings lasted until the 24th, totaling 13 days, with one track recorded each day.
In the studio, only two other musicians were present, Dadi Carvalho and Cézar Mendes, who contributed by playing various instruments, along with Menezes, who provided vocals, composition, and guitar on the track where she is credited. Monte emerged as the focal point of the group by solely taking on the role of producer, while Brown, Antunes, and collaborator Siqueira were credited as co-producers. According to her manager Leonardo Netto, the artist's intention was not to monopolize the spotlight but rather to act as the "catalyst for the realization of this project". The months of May and June were dedicated to the completion and mixing by Monte, Siqueira, and Flávio de Souza. Initially thinking only about having enough material to promote the work, the production company Trattoria Di Frame Produções was contacted to film the recording of the project. Cinematographer Guilherme Ramalho, together with director Dora Jobim, set up a structure with three mini-DV cameras to capture the entire process in the studio. Five months were spent editing and completing the footage, including the producers' return to the studio for audio mixing in Dolby 5.1.
Musical style Themes and influence on composition Musically, Tribalistas is an album composed of different styles, such as pop, samba, bossa nova, and tropicália of the 1970s. The inclusion of the latter genre was suggested by the media as an attempt to emulate the sound of Novos Baianos, while the supergroup concept drew comparisons to the formation of Doces Bárbaros. Although no direct influences were revealed during the creation of the album, Antunes mentioned Gil & Jorge: Ogum, Xangô (1975), Elis & Tom (1974), Doces Bárbaros (1976), and Refestança (1977) as examples of "albums that were made collaboratively, where artists created something they wouldn't have done alone". Analyzing each member's contribution, Marco Antônio Barbosa, from the website CliqueMusic, wrote: "If we were to define the percentages of each in the final sum, it could be said that the album is 65% Monte—phase Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão (1994)—, 25% Brown, and 10% Arnaldo. Direct, captivating melodies—pop, essentially—define the album, especially when Marisa takes the lead". Similarly, Matt Cibula, from PopMatters, felt the album displays the combination of Monte's pop style, Brown's Afro-inspired approach, and Antunes' experimentalism, resulting in what he described as a of Brazil's three musical centers and three major music trends. Mauro Ferreira, from the magazine Istoé Gente, noted that "the project balances Arnaldo's concrete poetry with Marisa's refined pop and Brown's rhythmic experimentation".
To support the songs, Tribalistas also showcases diversity by incorporating various instruments such as guitars, strings, bass, drums, keyboards, harpsichord, and minimalist percussion—including the use of a pestle—resulting in a predominantly acoustic sound filled with acoustic guitar that permeates most of its content. Jon Lusk, from BBC News, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that while the album's sound features distinct elements like music box, berimbau, and glockenspiel, it never overdoes the mix or allows these experiments to feel confusing. The lyrical content covers diverse themes, such as romantic relationships, the Carnival in Brazil, and playful concepts like the guardian angel and the Nativity of Jesus.
Content and musical structure