AmarElo

The release of AmarElo was preceded by a run of singles, each very different to the last, which left me thinking this would be a collection of songs rather than anything cohesive. How wrong was I? Emicida emerged as a freestyle rapper in the mid-00s, but this seems far behind him on a release that is only hip-hop on a limb, keeping the style's usual pockmarks, beats and bass to a minimum in favour of varied vocals and a cornucopia of instrumentation.

On the first half of the album this means Rhodes piano, muted horns and gorgeous female backing vocals that give it an LA/Rio sunshine vibe - even Marcos Valle gets involved - with a mixture of guests joining Emicida in a search for optimism amid tough times. This is best exemplified by ‘Quem Tem Um Amigo (Tem Tudo)’, a beautiful duet with sambista Zeca Pagodinho that oozes with brotherly love. Even when a tougher edge arrives late on with stuttering beats, rock riffs and baile funk rhythms, they don't feel out of place, offering a rousing finale to an album that both paints a bleak picture of the present, but also tells us how to get through it: with love.