There are certain styles of music that have an instant effect from the opening track on an album. Tagua Taguas’ new album Raio immediately conjures up the warmth and relaxation of a holiday on sunnier shores. Felipe Puperi is the multi-instrumentalist and producer behind Tagua Tagua. As a Brazilian artist from Sao Paolo he can draw from a rich history of fellow compatriots such as João Gilberto or Jorge Ben Jor and cites his influences as Tim Maia, Quincy Jones for soul and jazz and Daft Punk and L’Imperatrice for electronic and dance.
If you’re a fan of bands like Jungle then this will immediately improve your day. When you hear the nylon-stringed guitar intro for ‘Let It Go’ and, as the tight four-on-the-floor beat kicks in, you can feel your hands getting ready to clap along as your body starts to sway with the velvety synthesisers that drift around like warm zephyrs. “Lá distante, feito luz solar, quatro cantos, mundo pra rodar” (“Far away, like sunlight, four corners, world to roam” ).
The gentle syncopation of the title track has impeccable sliding guitar lines pinging around Puperi’s mellifluous voice, and is followed by the light cardio routine of ‘Lado a Lado’ (‘Side by Side’) which features a collaboration with White Denim, a band who Puperi has long been a fan of. Tracks can have a sedate bounce as on ‘Artificial’, ‘Talvez’ (‘Perhaps’) and ‘Come A Little Closer’ – which wouldn’t be out of place on a Stevie Wonder album – or bring full disco vibes as on ‘Química’ (‘Chemical) which has the upbeat feel of Ottowan’s ‘ ‘Hands Up’ or Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’.
RAIO has the kind of production that makes everything sound effortless. Bass and guitar lines are never static, and their restless joy injects a vibrance to the songs that makes it hard to stay still when you’re listening. Puperi’s voice is perfect throughout, a mixture of soft breeze with a hint of smoke and it sounds every bit as effortless as the album’s production.
There’s a great line in the press release that captures the essence of the album, “the serenity of a cool breeze in a chaotic world”. Just looking at the album’s cover with its fluid neon waves is enough to have you reaching for the cocktail menu as you lounge on a white sand beach. I have a personal yardstick of albums I would want to listen to when driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in America and this album qualifies with first class honours. If travel agents played this on a loop, sales would go through the roof. Tagua Tagua is a lustrous tropical swoon that deserves to be on everyone’s summer playlists.
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Review by Paul F Cook
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