River of Tears is the first ethnography of Brazilian country music; one of the most popular genres in Brazil yet least-known outside it. Beginning in the mid-1980s; commercial musical duos practicing muacute;sica sertaneja reached beyond their home in Brazilrsquo;s central-southern region to become national bestsellers. Rodeo events revolving around country music came to rival soccer matches in attendance. A revival of folkloric rural music called muacute;sica caipira; heralded as muacute;sica sertanejarsquo;s ancestor; also took shape. And all the while; large numbers of Brazilians in the central-south were moving to cities; using music to support the claim that their Brazil was first and foremost a rural nation.Since 1998; Alexander Sebastian Dent has analyzed rural music in the state of Satilde;o Paulo; interviewing and spending time with listeners; musicians; songwriters; journalists; record-company owners; and radio hosts. Dent not only describes the production and reception of this music; he also explains why the genre experienced such tremendous growth as Brazil transitioned from an era of dictatorship to a period of intense neoliberal reform. Dent argues that rural genres reflect a widespread anxiety that change has been too radical and has come too fast. In defining their music as rural; Brazilrsquo;s country musiciansmdash;whose work circulates largely in citiesmdash;are criticizing an increasingly inescapable urban life characterized by suppressed emotions and an inattentiveness to the past. Their performances evoke a river of tears flowing through a landscape of lossmdash;of love; of life in the countryside; and of manrsquo;s connections to the natural world.
#3192752 in eBooks 2009-12-28 2009-12-28File Name: B00EHNTDZE
Review
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Cher of the 70s mostlyBy cher bibleThe book is a Cher fan dream.It concentrates on the 70s period and the notorious Cher show in depth.There are some nice photos.Their are a few glaring errors ;such as "Baby dont go " was released on Atco records..Reprise...!The cover is gorgeous;;wish it was in hard cover.Extensive video-ography of her tv shows and discography. Pretty good;and many tidbits from the people who worked with Sonny;Cher and both.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fantastic book about a the turning point in a fascinating career!By Wise ConsumerThis is a fantastic book. It is not for the casual fan who wants only an overview of Chers life or career. Those books exist; the best is the Taraborelli. Others are mostly regurgitations of magazine articles and interviews and oft-told anecdotes that those of us who are serious; long-term fans can identify and probably quote. At least four of them are all entitled Cher! Some are catty (Bego); some merely comprehensive (Pellegrino). All of these books; while usually updated more recently; came out in about 1975; the time frame on which Strong Enough (despite its title coming from a more recent recording) focuses.Those of us who have followed Cher for enough years understand that this is the time when she really became CHER; moving from being a famous singer and fashion icon to being a true superstar-- in a time when that term was applied sparingly and to celebrities with serious talent and track records rather than to any random "personality" who has parlayed a sex tape into a reality show career.Following her divorce from Sonny in 1974; Cher moved into a solo career; and this is the focus of the book. While it includes overviews of her life and career before and after the years 1974-76; the book is really about Chers amazing; groundbreaking; short-lived but much-admired (by her fans at least) solo television show.The research and effort on display are impressive. Although the author did not interview the three most crucial people in the evolution of Cher into literally the biggest female star of this period-- David Geffen; Bob Mackie and Cher herself-- he seems to have spoken with all of the other important figures (George Schlatter; Ret Turner; Jimmy Webb; and other personnel involved with the show and with Chers recording career at a time when she made an effort to be taken seriously as a recording artist). Additionally; the comprehensive details of the contents and production of each show are a goldmine to those of us who remember it fondly or who would like to know more about it; scarce as it is on todays airwaves. As the author points out; perhaps because of the expense of music rights; the show has never been available on DVD; and only truncated half-hour versions have been shown on VH1.This show was a real high point of (and in many ways a conclusion to) the art of the variety show; along with Carol Burnetts show; but quite different from the latter. Between the "serious" musical guests who never appeared on television (David Bowie; Labelle; Bette Midler; Elton John) and the flamboyant and (for the 70s) risqueacute; costumes; TV viewers before MTV had never seen anything like it.While other reviews complain that the focus is on this time period; and that the details of the shows are; I suppose; less interesting to them than yet another repetition of her larger biography; to me; that is the value of this book. As mentioned; there are plenty of other sources for the same old same old. And those books include relatively little about the Cher show; focusing more on the concurrent divorce from Sonny and the tabloid saga of her relationship with Gregg Allmann; Certainly all of that is included here; as it was part of the era that began her ongoing role (along with Princess Diana) as one of the most frequently featured faces on celebrity periodicals. But here these "scandals" receive more measured coverage.In fact; the book is notable for the lack of a salacious or bitchy attitude about the biographical details. Cher is given her due as a significant; unique cultural figure whose image; career and life were shaped by the events included in this book.Oh; and great photos-- and; again; not the same ones on view in the other books and magazines.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Finally.....New Info on Cher!!!By E. FaganI have been a devout Cher fan for over 40 years. To date every book that has been published is always the same recount of her life. Dont get me wrong. Her lifes story is interesting; but its been told over and over a gazillion times. This is the very first book that it totally devoted to after leaving Sonny and beginning her own tv variety show. It specifically in chronological order takes you through every episode of The Cher Show. It tells you everything that happened behind the scenes. As an example......skits and musical numbers that never made it to television......happy times as well as big time disputes with some of her guests......and as Cher is fiming each episode; the book will give you very specific information about what was happening at the same time in her private life. This book to date; has been the only book about Cher that I read straight through without ever putting it down. I also sent a complimentary email to its author Josiah Howard. He has personally written to me three times and has offered me one of the two copies available of the book cover minus the writing across Chers torso. He is friendly; down to earth; and has dedicated many years of documenting facts in order to write this book. If you are a die hard Cher fan; you will love reading every page of this book because everything that youre reading has never been in print before. Cher herself is very pleased with the finished product; and states that its facts are very true and accurate. On a final note; the photos in this book are great. Youll love every one of them. Get your copy and enjoy the journey!!!!!