Critic's evaluation
Based in Tijuca, Thays Sodré, from Pará, has finally released her debut album after two years of preparation and production. Entitled Flor Do Destino, the material has already won awards. One of her songs was recognized at the Canção do Rio Bonito and Canção de Bela Vista de Minas festivals.
It's sweet, fresh and fragrant. It's like feeling your skin moist after a dip in a crystal-clear river. It's like smelling the pure scent of leaves being blown by the wind and flavoring the room with a natural smell. On the horizon, after the immense green expanse, the sun gives its last flashes, leaving the liquid surface with a reflection that looks like a Vincent Van Gogh painting. With a taste of the sertão thanks to the sonar of Rodrigo Garcia's viola caipira, Sabor Açaí transcends in delicacy when the sweetness of Marcelo Bernardes' piccolo blows freely over the melodic atmosphere. Complemented by Thays Sodré's strong, deep voice and nasal touches, Sabor Açaí is an ode, a tribute, a reverence for açaí, a fruit that represents one of the food staples of the northern region and is adored throughout Brazil. It is remarkable and touching to see how Thays has created a sensitive and emotional poem not only about the characteristics of the fruit, but about what it represents to the population of the north. "“És a planta que alimenta. A paixão do nosso povo", the singer subtly declares.
It's like watching the sun rise over the horizon, bathing the crops, cattle and trees in its reviving light and warmth. It's like smelling the scent of the bush, the texture of the dirt road, the smell of wood and the perfume of coffee coming out of the pot. Todos Cantam Sua Terra is an interlude that follows the line of the previous track in terms of homage and gratitude. What was once a reverence for the fruit and its importance in food culture, here Thays exhorts her passion, pride and love for her land of origin. And in this respect, Daniel Zanotelli's flute and viola caipira become the absolute melodic protagonists, delivering delicacy, aroma and freshness.
The rhythm picks up. The joy is dancing, inviting the listener not to think too much and to join in. Between the sambado beat of Alex Merlino's drums pouring out a solar swing and the union of winds, Tays, with the help of the smiling sonar of Évila Moreira and Letto's banjos hidden in the melodic aisle, begins to transform Carimbó Da Pororoca following the roots of the previous songs and venerating the famous, iconic and touristy appearance of the Pororoca. Just then, Thays, without having to say it, tells us that São Domingos do Capim, her hometown, is one of the places where seawater meets freshwater and where leisure meets daring and danger. Carimbó Da Pororoca is riverside fun. It's yet another work of nature being put to good use by society.
It's serene like a lullaby. Touching and spiritual like a candomblezeiro song. Delicate and understanding like a mother's embrace. With the help of Jhasmyna Thuller and Martha Taruma's voices in the choir and the vocal overlays, the generous, floral and polite softness of Meninão's accordion, and the sweetness of the flute, the title track sounds like the soundtrack to a fable, a fable that, given Thays's timbre, could well come from Maria Gadú's discography. Through the combination of the velvet of the viola and the timid stridency of the guitar, the song grows in harmony, while, with the arrival of the swing brought by the tinkling of the triangle, the xote dominates the rhythmic-melodic cadence. Becoming invitingly danceable and, at the same time, chameguenta, the title track is a romantic piece, but not in the way you'd expect, covering the love between two people. Romance and passion here are embedded in the art of life and the way we see living. Full of ups and downs, life can suddenly show color, even on monochrome days. And that's what the song teaches: to understand that life is a work without a recipe, but that it must be tasted even in its most sour flavors.
The north-east comes into its own with a comforting sunset. With its soft, cozy rhythm and exalting chamego thanks to the union of the accordion and the triangle, the song provides a soft and overly serene xote. Despite this, such crystalline subtlety has a melancholic and reflective feel. With a plot in which a couple is the link in the narrative, but not its focus, Thays makes Não Vou Sair a portrait of the administrative chaos in the country and the lack of trust and representation that this situation brings. Even so, the beauty of the song lies in the protagonist's ability to identify hope for better days beyond the horizon. With the certain proposal of a promising future in Canada alongside the man she loves, she is won over and bribed by Brazil's natural wealth so that she won't give up on it. This is perseverance in the form of narrative and melody in Não Vou Sair.
Soft and swinging, the song is born with a notable flirtation with the bolero theme. With an interpretation and intonations similar to those of Gal Costa, Thays' open vocal enters into an interplay of strength and softness between the sharp ripple of the lap steel and the opaque drumming of Marcos Suzano's bongô. Sensual, Encanto is a song with a curiously hypnotic melody, thanks to the acidity of Isac Hotz's organ, which mixes pirate tales about mermaids and Brazilian folklore about Iara, a mythological character who, in the form of a mermaid, enchants men on the banks of rivers. It's no wonder that its rhythm, together with its lyrical perspective, makes Encanto such a beautiful work that it blinds the strongest foundations of conscience.
Serene, but with curiously dark touches, the song is filled, in its awakening, by an aesthetic minimalism capable of creating touching bursts of harmony. Here, the nylon guitar blends with the sweet keys of Belluda's piano, creating an aesthetic combination never seen before in Flor Do Destino. Para Nos Molhar ties in directly with Não Vou Sair in terms of bringing a storyline that incites and persists in creating and supporting hope for better days. Para Nos Molhar is enough wisdom, awareness and maturity to overcome life's adversities with resilience.
Sensual and with romantic touches thanks to the union of the guitar and the piano, Confissão is born as an attractive and seductive bolero. Filled with percussive elements ranging from Durval Pereira's caxixi to cuíca and conga, the song is invitingly rollicking, while, surprisingly, its plot deals with separation. Deceiving the listener with its subtly swinging melody, Confissão is where the character comes to terms with the fact that separation is the best way to make the other person happy, but at the same time, it's where she sinks into a love she could never sow.
The baião is melancholy, mournful and downcast. Even supported by the sweetness of Cosme Vieira's accordion and flute, the rhythm is adorned with an enigmatic softness, while gaining extra textures with the percussive tinkling. From the sound of the song, it's even possible to catch a glimpse of the singer swaying her arms up and down while the words resonate with the rhythm of the song. However, Desilusão doesn't have a sunny or even cheerful storyline. It is a product that, despite talking about the sudden end of a love story, essentially discusses overcoming abandonment and living with the scars of a wounded heart.
Following the sad energy, but without any trace of sensuality, the new horizon comes with a sharp xaxado that has its narrative outlined by a Thays with an open, deep voice. An environment capable of tasting even the bass's low body and shrill pops, Sertão is a portrait of the life and personality of those who live in this region. It is an analysis of the effect of climate and landscape on the essence of the individual, an effect that makes the sertanejo community a group of strong people with an unbreakable sense of hope. A group that distances itself from the sense of coitus by being firm, conscious, persistent and resilient.
Dancing comes back with joy. The percussive elements, together with the wind instruments, turn the melody into an invitingly swinging atmosphere, thanks mainly to the accordion and clarinet. Between choruses that repeat the verse during the refrain, Tudo É Bom E Nada Presta is a debauched humor that deals, in a simpler way, with an interpretation of the iconic political catchphrase 'steal, but do'.
At the end of the piece, Thays turned the Lenda Da Pororoca into a musical tale. Alongside her guitar, she immerses herself in a literary narrative that captures the listener's attention, reminiscent of the school days when they listened to their teacher telling stories. Thus, Lenda Da Pororoca is an interlude that, without meaning to, takes on nostalgic contours.
It's not just the meeting of hope with gratitude or passion with patriotism. Flor Do Destino is a profound album that definitely goes far beyond what is known as nationalism. After all, the term itself indicates arbitrary, authoritarian, repressive and cold stances.
The album, in its essence, is where Thays Sodré manages to exhort her regionalist essence, her passion for the country and its natural resources and to express a sense of gratitude that doesn't fit into single verbs. Even with such sensitivity, generosity and humanity, the singer doesn't hide her awareness of the reality of an unequal country.
While Flor Do Destino can be a balm to the land, nature and its peoples, it also knows how to identify where the boulders to be removed are so that the path to progress is less costly. Between venerating the north and northeast, the food of the land, the natural works of water and the routine of the riverside community, Thays also manages to make the Brazilian people representative when he addresses issues of hopelessness and loss of faith in the country.
To blend delicacy, freshness, nature, but also reflections, Thays also enlisted Garcia to take care of the mixing. With the professional, the album exuded Brazilianness by fusing xote, xaxado, baião, samba and bolero into a soft, fresh and sensual melodic recipe.
Rounding off the technical scope is the cover artwork. Made by Emerson Ferreira and Thiago Araújo, it consists of a photograph of Thays Sodré that exudes happiness and, due to its landscape, already carries connotations of freshness, something that is very present in the album. It also places the singer as a kind of flower of destiny in her own right, a mermaid in search of direction
Released on 11/10/2023 via Porangareté, Flor Do Destino is an album that, in its most beautiful message, presents an artist who is aware of the mishaps experienced by Brazil. However, just like the slogan 'I'm Brazilian and I never give up' from the 2004 ABAP campaign, it shows a genuine passion for the country and the hope that better days will come to grace her homeland.
