Review

João Selva: “Passarinho” (Underdog Records)

Brazilian artist João Selva (a real son of a preacher man) returns once more to the fray with his new long player, “Passarinho” (“Little Bird”).

The title track is a joyous affair lilting sounds over a Santana-type vibe, which grows with its ever-building arrangement, taking it to huge heights - João’s voice is simply divine.

The groove goes deeper on “Cantar Cantar” with driving keys, wah-guitar, sly strings and congas while “Seu Carnaval” ramps it up further with some urgent twangy guitar and cross stick blessedness. He wears his influences on his sleeve too, channelling the likes of Marcos Valle, João Donato and Arthur Verocai as well as iconic ’70s US groove soul-jazz icons like Shuggie Otis, Bill Withers and Johnny Guitar Watson.

Standout track, “Sete Ventos”, really sticks out with its opening jarring chord sequence, before settling into a solid and innate funky groove. Great horns are the order of the day here. It’s an incredibly well-balanced platter with plenty of variety, as demonstrated by “Menina Me Encanta”, adorned with Specials’ type trombone, fast strumming acoustic and relaxed accordion, it’s a highly pleasing sound as this is a fab album and a must for those who love Latin/soul/funk grooves.
Words Emrys Baird