Critic's evaluation
Born from the combination of his surname and the term 'grooving', Broovin trilogy has now reached its final chapter. Broovin 3 marks Bruno Bruni's growth as an artist and his know-how in the musical world, because unlike the previous albums, there is now what the artist himself calls a 'big band' behind the melodies: in addition to the standard band that accompanies him, new and old friends from his journey add their touches to this material, which arrives five years after the beginning of the triad.
An atmosphere governed by a captivating sense of trickery sets in from the beat of Victor Cabral's drums. Amplifying this energy, Felipe Pizzu comes in with a full-bodied bass that adds the swing and, consequently, the sensuality of soul to the scenario, which also gains slight touches of soft rock from Bruno Bruni's guitar contribution. With the fusion of the icy piano and keyboard, as well as the solar swing of the wind team, You're Alive soon becomes an irresistibly danceable, energetic and smiling product. Giving the mood a subtle lift, the lyrical layer is driven by a sweet, high-pitched timbre with the potential for stridency. It's Laura Lavieri making the listener feel the freshness and, at the same time, achieve an extrasensoriality capable of touching the droplets that jump from the waves of the sea. Featuring an up'n down saxophone solo, full of melismas and sensuality, You're Alive is, while graced by the opacity of instruments like Mateus Prado's atabaque and agogo, the perfect balance between the stridency of the trumpet, the bass of the trombone and the provocative sharpness of the saxophone. Capable of recreating the ambience of the 60s, the track, despite its energetic vivacity incited by dancing, swaying and smiling, features an individual who lives a bohemian life and a problematic routine, but who doesn't want to incite concern in those around him.
There's something unapologetically comic about the way the keyboard notes move. With its sweet, floral harmony, the song flows happily into a samba melody from the 60s. Still heavily based on soul, Call Me is narrated by a soft, velvety voice. Marina Marchi brings sensuality, freshness and an invitation to nonchalance and carefree through her lyrical interpretation full of melismas. With the right to melodic jazz verses, Call Me is the pleasure of face-to-face conversation, of listening, seeing and being entertained organically by the presence of the other. It's the pleasure of meeting and the freedom of the virtual world. It's like sitting at a bar table surrounded by friends, good conversation and lots of laughter. A truly exhilarating song.
The softness is brought into play by Thomaz Souza's soprano saxophone, but it is accompanied by a bass texture from Anderson Quevedo's baritone saxophone. With the addition of the alto and tenor saxophones of Gaia Wilmer and Cassio Ferreira, respectively, the track gains sensuality and hints of classicism, although the solar swing prevails in a way that even brings a sometimes French ambience. O Jardinzinho is an interlude marked by a jam session between the members of Broovin 3's saxophone team. Fresh, sensual and solar, the track strikes the perfect balance between bass, velvet and strident in a strict synergy capable of intoxicating the listener and placing them at a jazz bar table in the 1897s.
The jam session atmosphere continues on the new dawn. Soft, swinging and groovy, Sem Palavras has an adorably captivating sweetness not only thanks to the fender rhodes, but also to the sweet delicacy of Marina Nemésio's timbre. Promoting a good mix of soul with hints of MPB, the song is embraced by a bed of synthetic sugar coming from the keyboard, which accompanies some bursts of sensuality promoted by the saxophone's winds. With slight new wave touches, Sem Palavras is a song that deals with uncertainty and probability. However, what stands out from it is the insecurity and lack of courage to assume and expose the emotions felt, an attitude seen as a shield against possible suffering from a new chance in life.
In keeping with the strength of swing jazz, the atmosphere is born with an embryonic sense of sunlight, while its lyrical narrative is brought to life without delay by a voice sweetened with curious synthetic notes. It's Bruni emerging on a base strongly softened by the rhythmic cadence of Vicente Pizzu's drums and delivering a storyline about the uncertainty of reciprocity in passion. With a controversially retro freshness capable of transporting the listener to a sixties Copacabana, Ela Sabe is sensual in its eighties national rock aesthetic, whose structure and melodic landscape are very reminiscent of the sound pattern of Rita Lee's songs, a factor that is also very poignant through Heloá Holanda's backing vocals.
The combination of Guilherme Lírio's guitar, the keyboard and the drums creates a contagious, swinging sensation. Together with the piano and the high-pitched trumpets of Sidmar Vieira and Joabe Reis, the song has an attractive melodic sensuality. Full of simple rhymes and a whispery vocal from Lírio, Eu Erro Sempre has a stunning energy that suggests an individual who is constantly lost in his actions. Not surprisingly, the track portrays the routine of a character who is unfocused and certainly has an attention deficit, but who, on the other hand, gives voice to unconscious actions that indicate a certain tone of dissatisfaction with certain people and duties. The line "tento prestar mais atenção, mas eu erro sempre" confirms that the individual relies on a truth in the comfort of their reality, thus indicating resistance to improving such occurrences.
Launched by a saxophone solo accompanied by a soft, swinging melodic base, No Escuro begins with a jam session landscape as big as the one seen in O Jardinzinho, with a strong, striking and irresistible harmony thanks to the team of musicians who give life to a 13-piece brass ensemble. With an acid guitar solo that once again accompanies Marina's sweet timbre, No Escuro is another piece that dives deep into the proposal to fuse jazz and soul in a sound that gives precedence to the bulbous and slightly low body of Luana Maelle's bass trombone. Solar and fresh, No Escuro is a colloquial track that, lyrically, mixes romance with the incitement of persistence, perseverance and focus. It's like building a sense of self-confidence capable of making the listener not only glimpse the attitudes needed to shape their own destiny, but also the courage and grandeur to ensure survival even in the dark.
A solar work. Broovin 3 has the soul of a jam session and a beating heart in its fresh, sensual, groovy and swinging energy that, at the same time, is retro in revisiting certain melodic textures from the 1950s and centuries past. A strongly melodic work that entertains, but also motivates, reflects and cheers.
Backed by an extensive team of musicians, Bruno Bruni not only promoted soaring harmonies and charmingly exciting energy. He also brought the perfect fusion of velvet and acid, warmth and dryness, and a relaxed atmosphere with questionable social overtones.
Between rhythms such as jazz, soul, new wave and MPB, Bruni moves through romance, affection, relaxation, self-confidence and bohemia in Broovin 3. However, without Nico Paoliello, Kassin and Bruno Buarque's help with the mixing, the album wouldn't have such a consistent soul. After all, with the help of these professionals, the material was finished with a firm, consistent and equalized sound that provides the listener with a great feast of textures and sounds that come from various melodic gaps.
Rounding off the technical scope is the cover artwork. Signed by Maria Cau Levy, the work embodies the concepts of fun, relaxation and nonchalance so poignant in the album. In a cropped, homemade photograph, the image features a man playing soccer on a neighborhood court, whose energy emanates from a pure time-lapse of immaturity.
Released on 11/03/2023 via Matraca Records and YB Music, Broovin 3 is groove, it's swing, it's tempo, it's softness. It's a material full of exciting and unquestionably attractive textures that, among great harmonies, is a beautiful invitation to entertainment that makes you relax, but also think and reflect. All with a seductively organic and uncontrollable smile.
