reEncanto

Andrade’s last record, Manga (2019), was a deep dive into the contemporary African pop music scene. reEncanto, a live acoustic record – just her charming voice, a guitar and the songs – is then something of a surprising follow-up. But when maternity knocked, she answered and, in turn, revisited her past at a time when she too was somehow reborn. So instead of Afrobeats-flavoured tracks, reEncanto is a back-to-basics record. Taped live at Union Chapel, this is a marvellous document of self-discovery, as Andrade goes through her career with the help of Djodje Almeida’s guitar and the metal bar, typical in Cape Verdean music, which she uses for percussion. In these stripped-down versions, songs from Manga such as ‘Afeto’, ‘Manga’, ‘Plena’ and ‘Vapor di Imigrason’ prove just as alluring as her previous work. Mayra Andrade freely sings as she pleases, as a true jazz legend.