Sergio Veloso, better known as Siba, is a Brazilian folk-rocker who was involved in the 90s "mangue bit" movement, founded the great band Mestre Ambrosio, then retreated to the villages of the sugar-cane belt, where I heard him singing backed by local brass musicians. Now he has moved on again, to the experimental music centre of São Paulo, and recorded an album that mixes traditional styles from the Zona de Mata with indie rock. A tuba provides bass lines on Brisa, and is matched against his electric guitar for the stomping Canoa Furada. Siba's urgent, no-nonsense vocals on the title track and alternately delicate and furious guitar work on Qasida make this one of the Brazilian albums of the year.
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Robin Denselow
Robin Denselow is a journalist and broadcaster who specialises in music and politics. He is the author of When The Music's Over, a history of political pop
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