Silencia

Not to be confused with her near-namesake, Ceu, veteran jazz singer Ceumar has just as seductive a voice – a classic Brazilian voice that's as light and colourful as a hummingbird. And it's put to classic use on an acoustic set recorded live with French cellist Vincent Segal providing much of the texture. Given the intimate atmosphere, comparisons with Dom La Nena's album Ela are probably inevitable, though Silencia is clearly the work of a mature artist in full command of her talents rather than a precocious debut. It's also much more overtly Brazilian, with forays into choro, coco and forró genres amid bursts of spitfire phrasing, sawing rabeca fiddle and accordion.

For the most part the focus is on the play between Ceumar's vocals and the ensemble of cello, double bass, mandolin and guitar that stitches the whole album together – and which can be heard coaxing it into life on the gorgeous melodic swells of opener ‘Rio Verde’. That these swells are actually notated in the liner notes is typical of the album's attention to aesthetic detail. This is a record to be savoured, from a singer who will surely win a loyal European audience.