Soyo

Dom la Nena's breathy whispered vocals inhabit every moment on Soyo, the Brazilian singer's second album. Sorrowful swathes of cello, minimal percussion and simple interweaving guitar lines form a bed upon which la Nena's hushed yet upfront voice – alternating between lyrics in French, Portuguese, Spanish and English – acts as the fulcrum. Stylistically it continues where her debut, Ela, left off, but there is more depth here and a greater focus on melody. Much of this can be put down to fellow Brazilian Marcelo Camelo's role as producer and musical sideman. A prolific artist in his own right, Camelo long ago perfected this blend of nouvelle chanson, acoustic pop and indie folk, a loose genre that could include artists as diverse as Beirut, Feist and Camille. His additional nous can be felt keenly on ‘Juste une Chanson’, a song built on a simple vocal refrain that builds and builds through extra layers of vocals, harmonies and instruments, pushing a song that could have passed in a whisper into a towering purposeful lament. Similarly, direct yet deft pop songs like ‘Lisboa’ and the Regina Spektor-esque ‘Llegare’ have an power and ambition that mark Soyo as a strong leap for an artist on the rise.