Leila Maria - Ubuntu (2022)
”Vida se alimenta de dor”
Less than 24 hours after I randomly watched on YT, while having a cup of tea, some video on why South Africa is so broken, I decide on a whim to listen to this album out of everything I had lying around in my RYM wishlist and, lo and behold, the very first song on here is about how people in South Africa really want political change. ”Seca”, the album closer, also touches a bit on the subject of powers that be oppressing the common people, making it for lives of suffering.
There are also the pains of love being touched upon in the lyrics elsewhere on the album, and of course, there is also the bottomless ”saudade”. So for the price of one, in the same package, you get two sides of this veteran Afro-Brazilian singer, joined by the long-standing MPB singer Maria Bethânia and a number of male and female artist from Africa.
It is a round and memorable statement, with atmospheric arrangements and tight production, though the songwriting might frustrate some listeners, as there is no emphasis on catchiness or danceability, and one needs to savor the lyrics for what they tell.