Mystical Roots will have a song on the CD and appearances in episodes of the upcoming soap opera "Da Cor do Pecado"!

Maranhão will lend not only its natural beauty to the new 7 pm soap opera on Rede Globo, which premieres on the 26th. The reggae beat born in São Luís will also have a guaranteed place in Da Cor do Pecado. Among the artists chosen by the musical direction to feature on the soap opera's soundtrack is the reggae band Mystical Roots, which in addition to having a song included on the soap opera's album and special appearances in some episodes, will also lend some dubs recorded on its first CD. The song Pras Bandas de Lá, which also names the debut work of the Maranhão band, will be the theme of the character Dodô, played by actor Jonathan Haagensen (Cabeleira from the film Cidade de Deus). He, who will compete for the love of Preta (Taís Araújo) with Paco (Reynaldo Giannecchine), will be the guitarist of a reggae band. The band, in this case, will be Mystical Roots, which was invited by soap opera writer Silvio de Abreu, who supervises the work signed by debuting director Emanuel Carneiro, to appear in front of the cameras. Mystical's participation in the plot, according to vocalist Luciana Simões, who is passing through São Luís, will serve to support the reggae character. "They needed a band and called us to record with Jonathan the scenes in which he will be playing," the vocalist explains about the invitation to the recordings, which will take place on the 11th, 12th and 13th of this month, at Projac, Rio de Janeiro. The most attentive will not need to wait until the soap opera premiere to hear Mystical's sound. Part of the music is already being aired in Globo's promos for the new soap opera. Luciana reveals that the musical direction will also use the six dubs - instrumental and experimental reggae, remixed from vocal tracks or originally produced as instrumental - present on the album Pras Bandas de Lá, released in 2001. "These dubs will be used as BG, in scenes about the city," she details. The vocalist also reveals that participation in the soundtrack of Da Cor do Pecado only happened because the band members decided to send a CD for Rede Globo's musical production to evaluate the material. "When we learned the soap opera would be about Maranhão, we sent the CD. We expected one of the tracks to be chosen, but we were surprised by their interest in the dubs".

FUSION

Judging by the lyrics of "Pras Bandas de Lá", the soap opera direction's choice was not so surprising after all. After all, the composition, signed by Luciana Simões and Júnior Echoes, also vocalist of Mystical, speaks exactly of a man's enchantment with a woman when he sees her dancing rhythms of Maranhão popular culture. "Eu fui Pro lado de lá/ Provar do cacuriá/ Da dona Teté/ Pirei ao te ver requebrar/ Nas ondas do teu gingar/ Na batida do pé/ (...) Fogo pagô, xô rolinha, fogo pagô/ Era uma garota bem difícil de se ter/ Gostava de teatro e cinema universal/ Dançava boi, cacuriá, dançava lelê/ Fazia capoeira e tocava berimbau/ Fazia terapia de cristal". Pras Bandas de Lá, in the words of Luciana Simões, is a conceptual track. In a fusion of cacuriá beats with reggae, the song shows that Mystical Roots, although it has reggae as its fundamental rhythm, continues to incorporate other styles in its compositions. "We don't have the pretension of playing genuine Jamaican roots. For that there are already names like Peter Tosh and Gregory Isaacs, who play much better than us," the vocalist observes. According to her, the band should show in its songs the various sonic influences that make up its work. "We are a Brazilian band, therefore we have Brazilian identity," she adds. New paths for the "stones": Mystical Roots' participation in the soundtrack of Da Cor do Pecado promises to make known nationwide the band that has been based in São Paulo since 1999. Formed by Maranhão natives Luciana Simões (vocals and percussion), Júnior Echoes (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Ricardo Jansen (bass), and São Paulo natives Márcio Diniz (vocals and keyboard), Ivan Monteiro (lead guitar) and Giuliano Laurenza (drums), Mystical has been establishing itself on the national reggae scene through various shows held throughout Brazil. Mystical Roots' first CD, Pras Bandas de Lá, released three years ago, was a public and critical success. With an independent format, the CD inspires the band's second work, which is currently in pre-production. Luciana explains that the compositions that will make up the work are already selected, but the group is looking for a studio to do the recordings. Still without a title, the album promises to represent Mystical's current moment. "On the first album, we included compositions from the beginning of the band. On this next one, the songs were all composed between 2003 and 2004, therefore a more mature work," the vocalist reveals. Before that, however, there is no forecast of shows on the Island. In São Luís, the group last took the stage at the Maranhão Roots Reggae Festival, held in July and August 2003.

PARALLEL

Amid all these new developments in Mystical Roots' résumé, vocalist Luciana Simões has also been involved with other professional projects, parallel to the band. One of them is substituting for vocalist Izabella, of the also Jamaican rhythm representative Natiruts, who is on maternity leave. The invitation to occupy the post of vocalist of the former Nativos band, led by Alexandre Carlo, came when some members of the Brasília band watched a Mystical Roots show. "They heard me, liked it and commented with Izabella, who asked for our CD to listen. She also liked it and they ended up calling me to substitute her," Luciana explains. For her, participating in another band has been seen as a way to promote Mystical's own work. Luciana Simões should accompany the Natiruts tour until May. For those who think this new experience might distance the Maranhão native from her band of origin, she has a message: "I don't think about leaving Mystical. I think we have a huge career ahead of us". But she adds: "I have many compositions I would like to show and if I can't do this in the band (Mystical Roots), because there each one has their own space, I do think about doing something alone, yes, but in the future". Even if this idea is not yet part of her current plans, Luciana Simões has already been pursuing other professional paths in moments separate from Mystical. After participating in Natiruts, she was invited by other bands to make guest appearances in shows, such as Reggae B, led by bassist Bi Ribeiro, of Paralamas do Sucesso, and formed by members of bands like Planet Hemp, Cidade Negra and Negril. The latter, moreover, will include two compositions by the Maranhão native on its next album.