Amaro Freitas - Y'Y (2024), 5/10

Freitas’ successful portrait of the Amazon takes its time developing into maturity but paints a lustrous picture of the Brazilian artist’s journey. The combination of outré instrumentation, hypnotic voice, and suspenseful narrative create a naturally progressing statement of sound. His talent on piano is immediately apparent, as it has been in the past, and the incorporation of subtly different musical stylings and palettes makes for quite an enjoyable array of tracks, all flowing together similar to the aqueous sounds within. The record has a subtle grace throughout most of its substance but picks up both in intensity and depth towards its end. The refinement of melody and execution in “Gloriosa” is the album’s summit, before its roaring finish with “Encantados”. A pleasant and entertaining journey through the jungle that successfully illustrates its subject matter, while flirting with intricate jazz stylings.