Beirut - O Leãozinho (4AD)
3/5
By: Stan Morgan
Beirut have a massive following in Brazil, so much so that special events have been set up for Beirut tribute bands to perform in cities all across the country. It makes sense, then, that Beirut should repay his Brazilian fans by covering a song by one of their national heroes.
The cover of Caetano Veloso’s ‘O Leãozinho’ (‘The Little Lion’ for those of you not capable of plugging it into an internet translator) sticks pretty close to the original in terms of tone and melody. The cover is unmistakably the work of Zach Condon though, with the trademark strummed mandolin, accordion and marching drum beat all present, as are the intermittent bursts of brass. Condon croons along in his best Portuguese (don’t ask me how authentic his attempts sound), and all in all the track is a very pleasant experience.
That said, there’s no edge, and the track is unlikely to attract anything other than casual listeners outside Portuguese-speaking countries. Nice gesture though.
Beirut - "O Leaozinho" (Caetano Veloso cover) by znaki.fm
Artists in this article: Beirut
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