Brazilian singer and guitarist Sessa has released his latest single Pele da Esfera, a laid back, transcendental funk, replete with lush vocal harmonies and a perfect example of Sessa’s intimate connection to the golden-era late ‘60s and early ‘70s bossa and tropicalia. It’s laden with lush orchestrations that evoke the timeless works of Tom Jobim or Arthur Verocai, melded with the vivid timbres of spiritual seekers like Alice Coltrane. His stories are sung in Portuguese with the poetic directness of compatriot-of-the-heart, Leonard Cohen.
Sessa says of Pele da Esfera, “This song was produced by a dog. You know, recording in people’s homes, especially people that moved out of the city, there’s always a bunch of animals around, cats, dogs, hens, pigs, etc. Late on the first day in the studio, Cabral, who I didn’t know personally before then, had a bit of a worried frown. He said that his dog that was just a few months old was homealone and that maybe we just lay down a draft and pick it back up tomorrow. We went in and played for a bit and the vibe in the take was so relaxed and special that we kept it.”
The song title translates to ‘Skin Sphere’ and follows the tropical spray of recent singles Gostar do Mundo, and Canção da Cura. Sessa’s nylon guitar shuffles underneath Marcelo Cabral’s lead bass melody and Biel Basile’s spare rhythmic accents. The unusually dusky lyrics belie the groove-forward tone, alluding to “poison in the lights of the party.”
The single is taken from the album Estrela Acesa, released 24th June on Vinyl, CD & Digital – Pre-order via Bandcamp and all platforms here.