Rubel

From the very first listen of Rubel's Latin third album, you can feel its transformative force for the MPB genre.

Here we see one of Rio's brightest stars, fusing the contemporary with the classic, soaking up the richness of Brazil's musical heritage. The result is a marauding 20- track epic, incorporating traditional styles such as forro, MPB, pagode and samba with modern baile funk, rasteirinha and hip-hop. The album exudes a sense of freedom and creativity, playfully and provocatively juggling the familiar with the forward-thinking. The tracks are divided across two records, navigating feelings of love, heartbreak and discovery, whilst balancing themes of violence, passion, irony and affection.

Collaborating with some of the country's most esteemed artists such as Gabriel do Borel, Liniker, Luedji Luna, Tim Bernardes and Ana Caetano, Rubel takes this fusion of styles, subjects and flavours to the global stage. The grand, forro-blending, choral opener, 'Forro Violento (Instrumental)' sets the tone for the album, with references and links between tradition and modernity everywhere to be seen. From the Ana Frango Eletrico produced, funk flexing, samba-soul brilliance of 'Nao Vou Reclamar de Deus', to the album's title cut 'As Palavras', in collaboration with Tim Bernardes, that melds MPB influences with electronic elements and hip-hop touches.