Fernando Holz: Minh' Alma Nua (2004)

Jerry D'Souza

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2001

From Bombay, India to Indianapolis, Indiana via Toronto!

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Published: June 13, 2004

Brazilian music has created a welcome niche in jazz, the bossa and the samba giving the music a uniquely sensuous and vibrant rhythm. The beat goes on with Fernando Holz, and though he is more attuned to pop, he works the genre with a convincing passion.

Holz is a singer who delves into yearning and pain, into joy and love with a simple directness. Even when a dollop of strings unveil a velvet curtain, he does not let the moment get syrupy. He uses strings judiciously, and with the other musicians showing a controlled sensibility, the songs pack a quiet wallop.

Holz sings in Portuguese but the booklet has the lyrics in English, which helps the unfamiliar understand the emotion of each song. His voice has a nice yearning quality and when he sings of “Segredos De Latitia” ("Laetitia’s Secrets"), the pain of a lost love is amply evident. The harmonic structure of “Érica” gives him the room to open out, his singing a spirited joyousness that even has him scatting for a while with Romero Lubambo’s guitar, creating a supple tension. One of the most beautiful tunes comes in the form of “Estação” ("Station"), which dwells on life passing by. The strings add to the atmosphere, and so do Lubambo's guitar and Paulo Braga's drums.

Holz sets up a welcome presence.

Track Listing: Segredos De Laetitia; Noites Vazias; Freud Explica; A Verdade; Aprendiz; Di

Personnel: Fernando Holz

Record Label: Independent Records
Style: Brazilian