Errante

For decades, singer/songwriter Adriana Calcanhotto has been balanced between Brazilian musical traditions and a creative approach to modernity. Her early explorations of MPB endeared her to legions of fans and peers internationally. Three years after releasing So, an album recorded in solitude during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, she delivers Errante, her Modern Recordings debut. Its title translates as "wandering," a theme born out in these 11 self-composed songs. Her idea was to reflect on the notion of choosing to live in transit. Calcanhotto recently discovered her Jewish ancestry and claims to have realized her own "wandering" through the world as an ancestrally inherited trait that she explores through bossa nova, funk carioca, samba, and samba-cancao. Calcanhotto assembled a lean, mean band for the date that includes Alberto Continentino on bass and piano, Davi Moraes on guitars, and Domenico Lancellotti on drums and percussion. Further assistance was provided by woodwinds, reeds, and brass. Opener "Prova dos Nove" commences with a thundering surdo beat and handclaps, then shifts immediately into a loopy bossa with layered woodwind, guitars, and lyre. "Larga Tudo" melds samba, bossa, and MBP in a lithe, tender melody played by guitars, percussion, and muted brass from trombonist Marlon Sette and trumpeter Diogo Gomes. "Quem Te Disse?" is a stellar example of samba-cancao with pillowy yet canny production. Its followed by set highlight "Levou Para o Samba a Minha Fantasia," a gloriously textured samba offered in a sweet yet psychedelic parlance with layered reverb. "Era Isso o Amor?" weds a spiky electric rock guitar to minor-key MPB, underscoring the tension in the lyrics amorous disenchantment. "Reticencias" is a sensual yet lonely ballad that narrates the end of a relationship from the point of view of the person who has been left in disconsolation. The lilting samba-cancao is delivered by the quartet with elegance and a forlorn grace. The cumbia frame in "Pra Lhe Dizer" underscores Calcanhottos poignant lyrics expressing new dreams that no longer include her lover. A mysterious piano and lyre hover above the guitar and rhythm tracks, adding an eerie atmosphere. Closer "Nomade" is bold, complexly produced funk caricoa. Differentiated percussion, dirty electric guitars, and layered brass explore freedom -- "wandering" the world and experiencing the paradox of possessing everyone and everything by possessing no one and nothing. Its multivalent musically but offers determined equanimity as the lyrics express wonder and caution. Errante showcases Calcanhotto at her most commanding. Her sophisticated, poetic songs deftly express the tensions between the contrasting comforts of home and the uncertain restlessness of nomadic movement. ~ Thom Jurek

2006年と2010年にラテン・グラミー賞を2度受賞した経験を持ち、"女性版カエターノ・ヴェローゾ"の異名を持つシンガー・ソングライター。タイトルの『Errante』とは、「放浪する」「渡り歩く」というような意味を持つ。ボサノヴァ～サンバ・カンサォン～ポップスなど様々な音楽性を内包する彼女の音楽は、しっとりとしたヴォーカル・スタイルの聴きやすさと実験的な要素が高次元で融合し、独特の深みを感じさせる。コロナによるステイ・ホーム期間中に製作された前作も素晴らしかったが、本作はよりオーガニックでシンプルに。アドリアーナの歌の魅力が際立つ作品になっている。
intoxicate (C)栗原隆行