Marcos Valle

Brazilian bossa nova veteran Marcos Valle has been sculpting music out of euphoria and miséria Carioca for over 45 years. His 30-plus albums have shaped the style as much as helped export it. Most impressively, Valle has seen the average age of his fan base grow younger with every release. Estática is a worthy addition to his highly acclaimed back catalogue, and it's likely going to reap him even more devotees. Flexing his creative muscle to incorporate '70s psychedelic rock and fusing elements of electronic dance into his bossa nova groove were all brilliant moves, but in his progress he created a void. Estática towers above many of his records for its potential to reignite the embers of an older audience hungry for vintage Marcos Valle. His brother, Paulo Sérgio Valle, contributes lyrics to a couple of songs on Estática. There are modern elements to some of this new material, but by far the album is as romantic and mellow as when his Paulo collaborated with him in the early '60s. Marcos Valle has been around the block enough times to be able to say "been there, done that" to comebacks, retrospectives and best-ofs. Now, he's offering exactly what long-time fans have ordered: a return to his roots.