Versos Do Mundo

The ‘Verses of the World’ of the title are the texts and songs for Mess’ third album, which the Afro-Brazilian singer pieced together over three years while travelling the world. The opening samba-inflected ‘Batuque é Reza Forte’, for example, is the product of her meeting with Dona Onete, the grande dame of carimbó, who can be heard on the track. It’s followed by an understated yet quietly dramatic rendition of Dorival Caymmi’s stormy ‘Noite de Temporal’. The remaining seven tracks here are all originals, ranging from the bubbly electro-pop of ‘Há Quem Chame’ to the somewhat incongruous cocktail jazz of ‘Lovely’, coloured by vibes, minimalist guitar and wordless vocal. It’s hard to pin down Mess, who emerged from Rio’s underground music scene back in the 90s. If anything, it’s the kind of understatement, characterised by warm, unmannered vocals and no-frills instrumental backing, heard to fine effect on ‘Eu Pagã’ and the curiously affecting title-track. All that travelling between London, Lisbon and São Paulo no doubt contributed to the resulting curate’s egg, but it’s one that’s worth sampling.