Pique: Red Vinyl LP

Label: Mr Bongo Records
Release Date: 18th October

Add Dora Morelenbaum to the list of must-follow artists in the new golden age of Brazilian music. 'Pique' is pure tropicalia, jazz funk and MPB luxury, dripping with lush strings, soul-dancing keyboards and a voice of pure sensual charisma. Co-production on this is handled by Ana Frango Eletrico. 

Pique is the sensational debut solo album from Dora Morelenbaum, one
of the key talents spearheading Brazil's new musical wave.

The sensational debut solo album from Dora Morelenbaum, member
of the Latin Grammy award-winning band, Bala Desejo.
Touching on disco, MPB, soul, R&B and jazz, Pique sees Dora embrace a
freedom through fresh forms, enriched with an indie pop aesthetic courtesy
of fellow Brazilian star and co-producer, Ana Frango Eletrico.

A member of the Latin Grammy award- winning band, Bala Desejo , Dora
showcases a new side to her solo productions on this special LP. Whereas Dora's
first solo EP, Vento de Beirada, was a leap of faith, Pique sees her soaring as one
of Brazil's standout stars, emboldened, emphatic but ever elegant. Building
bridges between past and present, it's a funkier, more groove- based affair,
weaved together with those signature, slower, celestial tracks. Touching on disco,
MPB, soul, R&B and jazz , the album is enriched with an indie pop aesthetic
courtesy of fellow Brazilian star and co-producer, Ana Frango Eletrico.
 
With an ethereal, enveloping air few can match, Dora's gift shines through both
the serene and the spirited songs contained within. The blissful, sun-soaked 'Nao
Vou Te Esquecer' opens, before the funk-fuelled, feel- good 'Venha Comigo' and
'Sim, Nao.' give a glimpse of the creativity bursting from the production
partnership between Dora and Ana Frango Eletrico. Elsewhere, the album reclines
into hazy lean-back realms via 'A Melhor Saida' and 'Petricor', virtuoso jazz funk in
the form of 'VW Blue' and radiant MPB through the album's title track 'Pique'.
 
The drumming is tight, fresh and swung, the horns and strings deftly arranged, as
funk-driven basslines and strutting guitars mesh with playful production touches
that give an added vibrancy to the record. It is an album that exhibits every side
of Dora and one she has been involved in from the ground up, from the song-
writing, singing, arrangement and production to booking the studio time and
sourcing the artwork designer, Maria Cau Levy.
 
An exchange of musical ideas powers every great scene and Rio's contemporary
landscape is no different - a family of interconnected musicians and friends that
collaborate on each other's productions. Pique is graced by a wealth of these
leading Brazilian lights including her Bala Desejo bandmates Lucas Nunes, Julia
Mestre and Ze Ibarra, as well as Guilherme Lirio, Alberto Continentino and Tom
Veloso to name just a handful. This exchange crosses generations merging
tradition with modernity. In a full circle moment, Dora's parents Paula and Jaques
Morelenbaum , who featured in countless recordings from Tom Jobim's Nova
Banda and Ryuichi Sakamoto to Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil , join on the album
through backing vocals and arrangement.
 
Pique sees Dora embrace a freedom through fresh forms, showcasing the depth
and diversity of her creative artistry. An infinitely listenable release that nods to
Brazilian greats like Gal Costa, Banda Black Rio and Lincoln Olivetti, fused with
the indie pop edge of Ana's production. The result is truly unique and sure to be a
future Brazilian classic.