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. It's 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
Calcanhotto's 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. It's 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
![Os Mutantes [LP/CD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0889397703363_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Os Mutantes [LP/CD]")
