Beto Villares

After years of working behind the scenes as a composer and producer with many of Brazil's new names in the pop scene (Zélia Duncan, CéU, and Pato Fu among them), São Paulo-based Beto Villares emerges with his first solo project, a sonic summary of the various genres he's worked around over the years. One of the tracks that grabs your attention is "Lume," which borrows its basic structure from Villa Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras," expanding it into an old-fashioned "marchinha," a beat common during Carnaval in the 1940s that has almost disappeared in recent years. On "Medo," he takes inspiration from maracatu for a song that talks about his different fears. Fernanda Takai (of Pato Fu) takes the lead on the beautiful "Incerteza," a tune about the uncertainties of a romantic relationship. Listen also to "Excelentes Lugares Bonitos," an uptempo song that describes the beauties of the diverse regions of Brazil. This self-titled debut does a good job of defying classification, and this genre-blurring album should surprise listeners at every turn.