Rodrigo Amarante
Cavalo
Easy Sound
Saudade is a Portuguese word known for being notoriously difficult to translate into English. Roughly, it comes to mean a sense of profound melancholy or longing, and it is a common element in the music of Portugal and Brazil. It is no surprise, then, that Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amaranteโs music is filled with this saudade โ he even overtly uses the word in the delicate standout, โIreneโ. Amarante, best known for his work with Little Joy, Los Hermanos and Orquestra Imperial, has embarked on his first solo effort, entitled Cavalo.
Right off the bat, the listener is swept away on the light breeze of โNada Em Vรฃoโ, a soft, wistful tune that also feels rather sensual thanks to Amaranteโs smooth, silky voice, and punchy brass peppered here and there. In contrast, โHourglassโ, one of the albumโs more rock-oriented tracks, has Amarante sounding eerily similar to Julian Casablancas, his voice bearing the reedy gruffness and stylistic inflections of the Strokes frontman.
Cavalo is like a musical and cultural melting pot; Amarante alternates between singing in English, French and Portuguese, and incorporates elements from various musical cultures and genres. The listener gets a taste of tropicรกlia, bossa nova, folk and rock all within the span of about 38 minutes. That being said, the album still manages to feel like a cohesive whole with songs that complement each other. Though his music may be full of saudade, Amaranteโs Cavalo should fare no trouble translating to English-speaking audiences.
โ Maria Sokulsky-Dolnyckyย (Twitter @marisodo)
rodrigoamarante.com.br
easysoundrecordingcompany.com
Rodrigo Amarante – Cavalo
Maria Sokulsky-Dolnycky