World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever - The Existential Soul of Tim Maia

Tim Maia lived a wild life. The late Brazilian singer/songwriter also created some fantastic music that married American R&B and Brazilian sounds in delightful ways. As a young man he spent some time in the United States before being deported on marijuana charges. LSD, membership in a UFO cult, dozens of law suits, and a flexible sense of time are also part of his story. The excellent comp Nobody Can Live Forever collects 15 choice cuts from the 1970s starting with “Que Belleza,” an absolutely killer track that finds Maia’s soulful vocals backed by horns, chattering percussion, and fuzzed-up electric guitar. The singer switches to English for songs like the cool cruiser “Let’s Have a Ball Tonight,” and “I Don’t Care,” which sports strings, vibraphone, and simmering organ. Clavinet stabs mark the excellently arranged “Bom Senso,” and the album closes with the twelve-minute-long “Rational Culture,” where Maia proselytizes for the cult he belonged to at one point. Whether you’re a believer or not, there is no denying that this jam is super funky.