A Brazilian singer-songwriter whose career began at the young age of seven years old, Luisa Maita had her fate in music arguably ingrained in her DNA, as her parents were both musicians and producers. While her culture helped cultivate influences of samba and bossa nova, Maita's interest in artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder helped shape her unusual sound of Brazilian music meets electronic pop.
Starting in the late '90s, Maita found much success in her home country, first with a band and then solo, with handfuls of praise and well received albums. In 2010, she made her way up north, finally exposing the rest of the continent to her varied and creative ideas.
Fio da Memoria, Maita's sophomore solo album, retains the traditional Brazilian sounds that existed at the inception of her career. But it is also extremely accessible for those of us in the States who rely on bits of New Wave, shoegaze, downtempo beats, and indie rock in our music.
The album starts with “Na Asa,” a sexy and sleek dance song with kinetic sounds, a dark beat, and breathy vocal. This theme is continued with “Around You,” which is sung in English, though it comes from a more haunting, chilling angle, that, while still danceable, sounds more organic. By the third song in, “Ole,” things become fuller, louder, and more experimental in nature, as Maita brings influences from all over the globe into loud versus soft dynamics and with memorable guitar work.
At this point, the album is a grab bag of sounds and styles. While “Porao” is more endemic to the heritage of her home country with a heavy percussive influence, “Fio Da Memoria” carries a strong indie rock feeling that is quite on par with our independent heroes. On the other side of the spectrum, “Ela” could be the soundtrack to any quaint jazz lounge, while “Volta” is a jagged, pulsating anthem of rock and folk.
Towards the end, “Fiola” is another percussion based tune with traditional Brazilian sounds that encompasses both organic and electronic sounds. Meanwhile, the last song “Jump” is a quick, experimental exit with just Maita's sultry and expressive voice.
It's of little surprise that Luisa Maita is seeing success up and down this side of the globe. Her style is mysterious, fun, and engaging, and her execution here is nearly flawless.