Chico

Chico Buarque is a major cultural figure in his native Brazil: in addition to being an important singer/songwriter, he’s an accomplished novelist, poet, and playwright. In the United States he’s less well known than many other Brazilian musicians despite the fact he has released dozens of recordings since his debut in the mid-‘60’s. Buarque’s roots are in bossa nova but he’s most associated with MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). 2011’s *Chico* is his first album in five years and it’s excellent. It opens with “Querido Diário,” which finds Buarque in fine form surrounded by a superb arrangement. “Rubato” features splashes of piano, effective horn interjections, and a groove driven by nice brushwork on drums. “Tipo Um Baião” starts off spare and mellow, but eventually female backup singers and gnarly psych guitar come into play. On “Sem Você No. 2,” Buarque’s lovely vocals are accompanied by acoustic guitar, string bass, and piano; it’s a delight to hear him in this setting. The album is graced by three duets with guest vocalists: “Se Eu Soubesse” (Thaís Gulin), “Sou Eu” (Wilson das Neves), and “Sinhá” (João Bosco).

A towering figure in the history of Brazilian culture, over the past 15 years Chico Buarque has been progressively distancing himself from music, choosing instead to concentrate on his many other projects, such as his internationally acclaimed novels.