Brazil, 2020, afoxé / vanguarda paulista
Okay, let’s get the genre definition out of the way: afoxé is “an Afro-Brazilian genre of music [and] it is a non-religious version of candomblé music.” All right. What’s *candomblé* then? It “plays an essential part in rituals of the Afro-Brazilian religion by the same name.” So, basically afoxé is its secular counterpart. Got it. So what are we hearing here? Passionate acoustic guitar playing, both delicate and furious, but always warm. We’ve also got call-and-response vocals, a clear hallmark of the genre’s religious roots. There are even psychedelic moments woven in, not only in the warbly music but in the mantra-like vocals sparsely used. But mostly this is a playful folk album.
Museum Musica 