he gains made by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and Os Mutantes in their radical embrace of western pop (i.e. the Beatles & the Beach Boys) during the late 1960s were consolidated during the 1970s into the sounds of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). Indeed, Veloso, Gil, and Costa are still three of the most beloved figures in MPB, despite the fact that the sound has continued to evolve as the distinctive rhythms, subtle vocals and literate lyrics of the genre has confronted modern production techniques. On Tribalistas, three MPB stars who have made their mark over the last decade have risen to the challenge in collaboration towards proving the genre is far from running out of unique ideas.

Perhaps introductions are necessary. The best-known of the trio is Marisa Monte, a singer/songwriter whose strong, clear, and bright voice (reminiscent of a less dramatic Elis Regina) has made her a star in her home country. Monte has recorded some of the best music to come out of Brazil during the 1990s, particularly the Arto Lindsay-produced "Mais" and "Rose & Charcoal".

Percussionist/singer/songwriter Carlinhos Brown is a frequent collaborator with Monte, along with releasing his own freewheeling rock and funk-inflected take on MPB as a solo artist. Besides a voice that sounds a lot like Milton Nascimento's, he's also a much-in-demand studio percussionist whose sessions include everything from Bill Laswell's Bahia Black album Ritual Beating System to Sepultura's Roots.

For most Americans, the unknown quantity of the trio is Arnaldo Antunes. Although he has several albums out in Brazil, the only recordings by him that had been released in the U.S. previously were two intriguing tracks included on David Byrne's compilation Beleza Tropical 2: Novo! Mais! Melhor!. He's a singer/songwriter with an elliptical lyrical style and a unique voice- he's a bass singer, but instead of belting, he lets his voice purr. Imagine Joao Gilberto if he sang an octave or two lower.

Tribalistas is a true collaboration: Monte produces, but all three performers share writing credits on every song. The egalitarianism even extends to the vocal arrangements, with all three swapping lead and harmony vocals throughout the album. Many of the tracks feature the beguiling effect of Monte and Antunes singing parallel lines a few octaves apart while Brown plays between them.

Besides Brown's array of percussion and Monte's acoustic guitar, the musical core of the album includes guitarist Cesar Mendes and guitarist/keyboardist Dadi Carvalho. The music they help to produce ranges from the swaying, samba-based invitation of opener "Carnavalia" to the languid "O Amor E Feto (Love Is Ugly)", which floats on a bed of Carvhalho's sitar guitar(played with a slide) and Brown providing quizzical piano chords on what frequently sounds like a jack-in-the-box.

Other highlights include the reggae of "Um A Um (One To One)", a track that celebrates love as a noncompetitive sport, and the samba-reggae of "Anjo Da Guarda (Guardian Angel)". "Anjo..." has one of the best arrangements on the disc, featuring tastefully wah-wahed guitar and a metal ashtray played like a gong by Brown. There's also a nice straight-up bossa nova titled "La De Longe (From Far Away)", and "Ja Sei Namorar (I Already Know How To Love)", in which the electronic drums give the track the flavor of the electronica-plus-acoustic-guitar sound that Mirwais has been providing for Madonna on her recent records.

While the choice of having a string of mellow songs sandwiched in the middle of the disc works to slow down the album, the net result of the entire work is still an accessible, melodic collection of state-of-the-art Brazilian pop. In sound and spirit, Tropicalia's is far from dead.