Carlos Lyra is a longtime known bossa nova composer/singer/violonista by the American audiences. In this release, he healthily avoided any retro atmosphere of some bossa revival, even if a couple of songs are pure bossa. On the contrary, he affirmed here his own talents as a composer, instrumentalist, and singer, exploring in an acoustic album Brazilian genres such as the choro and the samba, romantic ad-lib songs, stylized pop-flamenco grooves, and even the Portuguese fado. Joined by excellent musicians such as the arranger/pianist Antônio Adolfo,
Roberto Menescal,
Adriano Giffoni, Paulo Sérgio Santos, and
Rildo Hora, the album is strong melodically/lyrically, appealing both to previous
Lyra fans and to a general audience appreciative of good music/poetry.