A Vontade Superstar

The Sao Paulo music scene is currently thriving, with artists such as Criolo, Tulipa and Céu getting international releases and plaudits over recent years. Bruno Morais steps up to join this elite on A Vontade Superstar. Across the album Morais proves himself a master of lush arrangements, varying textures and attention to detail. ‘O Mundo E Assim’ is the perfect example: it’s a samba that isn’t constructed like any samba you’ll have heard before, an interesting mix of fluctuating piano lines, looped harmony vocals and booming bass drum.

This is obviously an artist bursting with musical ideas. It’s in the songs themselves where Morais lets himself down. There are very few melodies that leave a lasting impression, tracks like ‘Planos’ and ‘Hoje Eu Vou Te Acordar’ seem to have finished before they’ve even started. Only on ‘Ha De Ventar’, does he offer up something distinctive, a dramatic finale undoubtedly influenced by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Again, it’s the production that makes the track stand out, leaving you to think that Morais’ calling may be more as a producer than a singer-songwriter in his own right. Unless he finds his muse, or a stack of great songs, he may find it hard to rival the success of his city’s rivals.