Luísa Maita

Long on the rise as a songwriter and vocal contributor, not only to many of her successful peers, but to Rio's victorious 2016 Olympic bid, São Paulo native Luísa Maita is finally pushing her name to the forefront with a pensive, detail-rich debut set. Riding a vibrant sonic blend of acoustic guitar and tactfully implemented, diverse rhythmic elements, pinned down by the disc's many groove-anchoring bass lines, Lero-Lero offers up an impressive sound bed for Maita's natural, inviting vocals. The singer offers hints of Lenine on the bustling "Alento" before settling comfortably into the syncopated baião of "Fulaninha." A spell of plaintive reflection follows on cuts like "Mire e Veja," the flowing "Um Vento Bom" and the stripped down "Amor e Paz," while the cyclical "Anunciou" turns in a concise bit of poetic lyricism. But regardless of tempo or mood, the record finds its way of drawing you in, which is a credit to Maita's compositional talents on this well-crafted introduction.