Patrícia Bastos, Voz da Taba – Singer from Macapá whose excellent Zulusa was a fave of 2013. Here she draws again upon the beatier traditions of Brazil’s northeast for eleven sinuous tracks that sound as rooted in central Africa as they do Brazil, especially the soukous-tinged guitar work. Of course there are 13 tracks, so skip the duds that lead and close the album to revel in a sound that’s pure up. Listen here. Grade: A-
Bixiga 70, Vapor – Hands down the best album from this estimable band mostly because they are playing for the studio rather than the show. Earlier albums showcased a band with chops, but one that didn’t seem to care about the difference between playing live and for recording. Here, for the first time, they demonstrate some solid compositional sense. These are tracks made to play at home on a sound system, not just to dance to at a party. The downside is that compositional sense includes more than a hint of ’70s jazz-fusion, and not the good Miles Davis stuff. But it’s still progress. Listen here. Grade: B-
Romulo Fróes and Rodrigo Campos, Elefante – Two old friends get together with their guitars while other friends old and new sometimes pop in to supplement the jam. Unlike their earlier albums from this year, Elefante doesn’t push their art forward. Instead it looks back to that friendship and all it’s accomplished, personally and artistically, over the past 15ish years. As two of the leaders of the Clube da Encruza collective, Campos and Fróes have more than earned the right to sit back, reflect, and bask in what they have done. But don’t think this means they are coasting. Nine tracks, most up to the highest standards of the Clube, and a few of which would force their way onto a career overview. “Quando Canto” is as beautiful as anything either man has done in half a decade. “Um Amor Cantando” lets Thiago França get funky and Anna Vis do a fine Juçara Marçal stand-in for a track that is quintessentially Clube. Elsewhere they display a mastery that ranks them among the titans of Brazilian music. Like all things, the Clube collective will eventually run its course, but that moment has yet to arrive. Listen here. Grade: A-
Alzira E and Corte, Mata Grossa – A little more gothic. A little sillier. But except for singer Alzira E getting her name on the cover, this is more of the same fun from the São Paulo veterans. Bass, drums and brass play heavy and sorta funky while Alzira squalls engagingly over the top. Lotsa texture and fun with arrangements. Definitely play loud. Listen here. Grade: B
Marisa Monte, Portas Raras (Ao Vivo) – Another tour another tour document EP. This time, Monte includes seven songs not on Portas. Five covers and two of her own tracks. The winners are “Seo Zé”, which she first did on a duet with Carlinhos Brown on one of his records and “O Leãozinho”, one of Caetano Veloso‘s ’80s tunes whose melody thrives in a different context. The rest is fine, which is good enough from an artist of this caliber. Listen here. Grade: B-
Fabiano do Nascimento, Mundo Solo – On his third album of the year, Nascimento doesn’t forsake the awful new age of Das Nuvens, but he does figure out how to do it better. The difference is slight, but this one helps me concentrate, whereas the previous just bored. His fastidiousness works to his advantage here. Each track is full of details—smartly rendered, of course—that give something for your brain to latch onto so that the calming sonics don’t just put you to sleep. Listen here. Grade: B-
Brazil Beat 