Classic Brazilian singer, songwriter, and producer Marcos Valle reissues. Just as his self-titled 1970 release, Garra continues in the new sound Valle explored just one year before. A mixture of Samba, Bossa Nova, and American folk / rock. Singing in Portuguese, Valle crafted beautiful song after song easily walking the line of tradition and modernism. With "Garra" the music leans more toward the traditional Bossa Nova side with great melody, strong horn and string parts only the drums are very much a solid back beat over the light percussion we have come to love in our Brazilian tunes. The newly reissued album comes with in-depth liner notes interviewing Valle and is 180-gram wax LP with original art expanded on a gatefold old-school “tip-on” jacket. This marks the first time it is also officially available in the US. Recommended.

• music label: Light In The Attic 2013

reviewed by gene jacket 1/2013