Coisa Boa

by Moreno Veloso

Overview

Though it's been 13 years since Moreno Veloso released his debut, Maquina de Escrever, he's hardly been idle. The guitarist and singer/songwriter recorded the former album with +2 -- drummer Domenico Lancellotti and bassist Alexandre Kassin. In the interim, he's collaborated on their recordings to complete +2's trilogy, contributed to albums by Bebel Gilberto, Gal Costa, and Adriana Calcanhotto, and produced three records by his father. Where +2's trilogy was designed to explode pop's boundaries, Veloso's Coisa Boa is their antithesis: relaxed and simple (though progressive), its lightness creates a head (and heart) space for reverie. Most of these songs were inspired after Veloso relocated to Salvador, Bahia. Much of the set was recorded there, as well as in Rio, Japan, and New York. His supporting cast includes Lancellotti and Kassin, guitarist/co-producer Pedro Sa, Arto Lindsay, Takako Minekawa, Rodrigo Amarante, Melvin Gibbs, Davi Moraes, Daniel Jobim, and many more. Rehearsals sometimes took place while Veloso's children were sleeping, adding a quiet dynamic that wound its way into the recording process. The sense of time here is dilated, the production aesthetic is economic, open-ended. The first third of the record is more active and one readily detects Sa's influence. "La e Ca" showcases Veloso's acoustic guitar framed by his co-producer's signature electric six-string, as quirky and breezy electronic effects waft through the mix as Lindsay's elliptical lap steel glides through the lyric. "Um Passo a Frente" commences as a largely acoustic samba, but in the refrain it meets skittering electric guitars and pronounced percussion that create something akin to carnival music in miniature. "Em Todo Lugar" cops the vamp from the Beatles' "The End," while using a jazzy wah-wah guitar and funky bassline to deeply sensual effect. The record takes a gentler, almost rural tone in the center, commencing with "Verso Simples." Its clip-clopping percussion, mandolin, guitars, and whistling create an informal, back-porch feel. The title track is an intimate nocturnal waltz with trippy guitar effects and sparse percussion. "Jacare Coruja," with mini steel drums, coconut shells, and bass and guitar interplay, is an innocent fairy tale. "Num Galho de Acacias" is a lullaby, where the singer's and Minekawa's voices are accompanied by sweet Old World-sounding Wurlitzer. Both songs are tributes to Veloso's children, yet they also sound like the songwriter's wistful attempt to recapture, albeit momentarily, the dreamy innocence of childhood. The recording shifts mood again on "De Tentar Voltar." Illustrated by brushed drums, spidery electric guitar, and cello, it drips with sensuality. "Nao Acorde o Nenem" is a sprightly, sun-drenched, romantic choro. The brief closer, a duet with Minekawa on "Onaji Sora," is a melancholic yet committed love song, orchestrated only by acoustic guitar, bass, music box, and organic percussion. At only 35 minutes, Coisa Boa, with its focused musical simplicity, lyric intimacy, and spacious production, is as close to perfect as it gets. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2014
Label:	Luaka Bop
UPC:	0680899008419

Tracks

1. L¿¿ e C¿¿
2. Um Passo ¿¿ Frente
3. Em Todo Lugar
4. Verso Simples
5. Coisa Boa
6. Jacar¿¿ Coruja
7. Num Galho de Ac¿¿cias
8. De Tentar Voltar
9. N¿¿o Acorde o Nen¿¿m
10. Hoje
11. Onaji Sora

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Moreno Veloso   Primary Artist,Bass,Cello,Vocals,Percussion,Handclapping,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Dadi   Mandolin
Juliano Barbosa   Bassoon
Mauricio Pacheco   Guitar
Luiz Brasil   Guitar (Acoustic)
Alberto Continentino   Bass
Rafael Rocha   Percussion,Handclapping,Drums (Steel),Whistle (Human),Mouth Percussion
Rubinho Jacobina   Wurlitzer
Leo Monteiro   Percussion
Luis Filipe de Lima   Guitar (Acoustic)
Stephane Sanjuan   Cymbals,Timbales
Jonas Sa   Handclapping
Rodrigo Bartolo   Synthesizer
Inti   Handclapping
Quito Ribeiro   Handclapping
Domenico   Drums,Shells,Vocals,Percussion,Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Berna Ceppas   Lap Steel Guitar
Kassin   Bass,Synthesizer
Daniel Carvalho   Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Melvin Gibbs   Bass
Pedro Miranda   Vocals (Background)
Davi Moraes   Toms,Guitar,Cavaquinho
Geraldine   Handclapping
Daniel Jobim   Piano
Hiroshi Takano   Guitar,Kalimba,Music Box,Percussion
Isabela   Handclapping
Pedro Sa   Guitar,Handclapping,Guitar (Tremolo),Vocals (Background)
Takako Minekawa   Guitar,Vocals,Kalimba,Music Box,Bird Calls,Percussion,Synthesizer,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Arto Lindsay   Guitar
Rodrigo Amarante   Bass,Wurlitzer,Handclapping

Technical Credits

Dado Villa-Lobos   Engineer
Duda Mello   Engineer
Luiz Brasil   Guitar Engineer
Dudu Falcao   Composer
Lao Silesu   Composer
Ricardo Garcia   Mastering
Rubinho Jacobina   Arranger
Gabriel Muzak   Assistant Engineer
Igor Ferreira   Engineer
Domenico Lancellotti   Composer,Graphic Design
Hiromi Konishi   Executive Producer
Nilson Fyscher   Composer
Nicolau Villalobos   Assistant Engineer
Felipe Fernandes   Assistant Engineer
Pedro Tambellini   Assistant Engineer
Arthur Nobre   Photography
Celina Kuschnir   Graphic Design
Clara Flaksman   Engineer
Rodrigo Bartolo   Composer,Engineer
Rosa Veloso   Picture
Shohei Nanamura   Assistant Engineer
Quito Ribeiro   Composer
Berna Ceppas   Engineer
Daniel Carvalho   Mixing,Engineer
Gal Costa   Engineer
Melvin Gibbs   Bass Engineer
Moreno Veloso   Mixing,Effects,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Daniel Jobim   Engineer
Hiroshi Takano   Engineer
Pedro Sa   Producer
Takako Minekawa   Composer