Grande Coisa

The title of the Swedish label’s latest Brazilian release translates as Big Deal! This self-effacing singer-songwriter has waited till age 38 to broadcast the kind of songs he has been writing since his teenage years. Of the ten numbers he penned during the enforced isolation of lockdown, one is adapted from a passage in a book written by his mother. Together, his tales feed on the minutiae of everyday life, and it’s probably fair to suggest that the lyrics, even in translation, are stronger than the melodies. Arguably, though, one can say this about Bob Dylan!

Seemingly rooted in rock, the singer’s gentle voice and (mainly) acoustic guitar are hitched to the steady backbeat of electric bass and drums. Numbers like the title-track and ‘Em Pedaços’ (with its surprisingly electric guitar), are vaguely reminiscent of Syd Barrett at his simplest and most wistful. If ‘unassuming’ is the impression that this album leaves, there are some genuinely lovely moments. ‘Suspiro’ is gorgeous, simplicity itself. And Per Ekdah’s arrangements with flute and clarinets really lift the two final songs. If Dorea’s debut is not yet a big deal, there’s enough to suggest that a bigger one could be forthcoming.