Voices and Percussions

Brazilian percussionist, arranger and composer Silvano Michelino's project Boca de Tambor is a journey rich in timbres, rhythms and textures, as well as languages; Japanese, Hebrew and English feature alongside the dominant Spanish and Portuguese. Although the album is unified by a simple concept – vocals and percussion only – the end result is a little confusing, and perhaps too far-reaching in its approach. Featuring a collective of 20 musicians from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds, much of the album delves into Afro-religious musics of Latin America, notably Cuban batá and north-eastern Brazilian candomblé, alongside elements of genres from South Africa and Guinea-Bissau, among others. Yet, somehow, there is a cover version of Janis Joplin's ‘Mercedes Benz’ too, and Mongolian-style throat and overtone singing on ‘Samai’.

The sheer variety feels tokenistic at times and, as a whole, the album lacks a sense of unity. The musicianship of both singers and percussionists is hard to fault, however. The vocal harmonies, especially on ‘A Rã’, can be exquisite, and established Brazilian singer Luciana Souza's haunting maracutu-inflected ‘Chuva’ is another highlight.