With the release of her intimate, tenderly inviting and exquisitely produced and arranged debut album A Moment of You, emerging Brazilian vocalist Daniela Soledade adds a wonderful fresh chapter to important legacy that harkens back to the birth and development of bossa nova. Her grandfather Paulo Soledade helped build the foundations of Brazilian music, composing with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho, Baden Powell and others in the pioneering phase of bossa nova.
Her father Paulinho, who penned and contributes a guitar solo to the spirited tribute “Song for Baden,” is an artist-producer who has worked with genre greats Ivan Lins and Gilberto Gil. When she wrote, “The bossa nova runs deep in my veins” for her Indiegogo campaign, she wasn’t kidding.
Having decided to embrace the family biz, there’s truly no end to her warmth and gentle soulfulness, which turns classic sambas like “Eu Sambo Mesmo,” Rosa Passos “Dunas” Los Hermanos’ Veja Bem Meu Bem” into sweet, emotionally immersive caresses and brings sultry new dazzle to standards like Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” and the French-originated “I Wish You Love.”
Soledade also takes after her famous family members as a songwriter as well, contributing the plucky, easy rolling “Ninho,” featuring Patrick Bettison on harmonica. As versatile and talented as Soledade is, none of this exotic magic or soft spoken charm would be possible without the great musical instincts and lush, rhythmically intuitive acoustic guitar of her producer Nate Najar. Here’s hoping for more collaborations from them – and a continued bright, inspired future for bossa nova!