Escândalo!

Angela Ro Ro

1981

Cover of Escândalo!
Top 100

Why This Album Matters

Escândalo! is the third studio work by the acclaimed Angela Ro Ro, released in 1981, which solidified its place as a milestone in her discography. The album presents a rich fusion of styles, masterfully articulating rhythm and blues, rock, jazz and samba-canção, reflecting the musical language the artist had been solidifying in the early 1980s. With a bold aesthetic proposal, the work stands out for its title track, "Escândalo!", specially composed by Caetano Veloso, which occupies a central position in its narrative. The album's visual conception itself, with its cover and insert inspired by newspaper headlines, and the inclusion of a letter from the artist to the press, reveal Ro Ro's intention to engage with the context of her time, addressing the complex relationship between her personal life and her artistic output.

Context

The release of "Escândalo!" occurred during a period of intense media visibility for Angela Ro Ro, particularly due to her romantic relationship with singer Zizi Possi, which began in 1980. The press at the time widely reported the end of the couple's cohabitation in their apartment in the Tambá building, culminating in an episode that transformed into a genuine public scandal, with reports of an incident involving the police. Publications from that period circulated different versions of events, mentioning alleged aggression, forced entry and intoxication, claims that Angela Ro Ro vehemently disputed, asserting she possessed keys to the property, denying she was inebriated and refuting indications of injuries by Zizi Possi. This climate of exposure and personal conflict ultimately permeated the very conception of the album.

Songs

The repertoire of "Escândalo!" comprises eleven tracks that skilfully intertwine elements of rhythm and blues, rock, jazz and samba-canção, consolidating an authorial identity that she had already been exploring through genre fusion in previous works. Samba-canção, in particular, emerges as a structuring axis both in the interpretation and in the melodic construction of the album. The title track, "Escândalo!", written by Caetano Veloso, is a central piece that directly engages with the proposed concept for the album. Other songs, such as "Perdoai-os Pai" and "Came e Case", were highlighted by critics for their overwhelming combination of dramatic intensity and musicality. The diversity is notable on side B, which transitions from the bluesy rawness of "Vou Lá No Fundo" to the elegant lyricism of the final tracks. It is worth noting that "Tão Beata, Tão à Toa" received a rock-style re-recording by Marina Lima in 1984, serving as the opening theme for a telenovela.

Legacy

The critical reception of "Escândalo!" was largely positive, with publications such as Diario de Pernambuco and Diário da Manhã praising formal elements of the work, such as Antonio Adolfo's arrangements, the cohesive repertoire and the aesthetic coherence. Sérgio Nona, from Diario de Pernambuco, highlighted the artist's "raw and conscious" exposure, as she took narrative control of her creation, whilst Diário da Manhã classified it as the most vigorous album of her early phase, an "absolute classic" and a "major milestone" in the discography of the "queen of Brazilian blues". Diário da Manhã emphasised the album's strength both in its lyrical intensity and in its unique fusion of blues, samba-canção and nuances of Carioca samba, and Dirceu Soares, from Folha de S.Paulo, penned a very complimentary review, comparing Angela Ro Ro's voice to great names such as Nana Caymmi and Maysa. In commercial terms, the artist's albums released up to 1983, including "Escândalo!", achieved sales of at least around 20,000 copies in the Brazilian market. The album was also re-released as a remastered CD by Universal Music in 2002, as part of the "Tudo" series.

Rankings

Tracks

Credits

A&R

Clovis Mello

Arranged By, Producer

Antonio Adolfo

Acoustic Guitar

Dino 7 Cordas

Bass

Jorjão Carvalho

Cavaquinho

Alceu Do Cavaco

Clarinet

Netinho

Drums

Mamão

Guitar

Rick Ferreira

Pandeiro

Jorginho

Percussion

Ariovaldo Contesini, Peninha

Piano, Electric Piano

Antonio Adolfo

Saxophone, Flute

Oberdan Magalhães

Strings

Orquestra De Cordas Polygram

Trumpet

Formiga, Nilton Rodrigues

Lacquer Cut By

Ivan Lisnik

Mixed By

Ary Carvalhaes, Jairo Gualberto

Recorded By

Jairo Gualberto, Luis Cláudio Coutinho

Cover

Artistas Gráficos Ltda

Podcasts

Escândalo!

Entendidas Podcast · Leíner Hoki e Maria Alice Carletti, com apoio de Joana Ziller e Dayane Barreto

1h 24min·3 Sept 2025

O Entendidas Podcast está no ar!Este é o terceiro episódio da temporada de ANGELA RO RO.No começo da década de ‘80, Angela Ro Ro, aos seus 29 anos, teve sua trajetória artística e pessoal virada de ponta cabeça. Uma série de eventos caóticos - ainda pouco esclarecidos, mas definitivamente chamativos - colocaram a artista na capa de diversos jornais e revistas. "Escândalo!", anunciavam.Em meio à Di

Videos

Reagindo ao Album Escândalo Íntimo da Luisa Sonza (PARTE 2) | REAÇÃO | REACT | O MUNDO DOS REACTS

O MUNDO DOS REACTS

Angela Ro Ro - "Escândalo" l O Som do Vinil

Canal Brasil

Analyses

Discogs

Escândalo! – Discogs

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