Grandeza, the debut album by Sao Paulo's Sessa, bears a deep, insinuated use of the rich textures that define Brazil’s songwriting history. Sung in Portuguese, with visceral, sensual lyrics in the vein of Caetano Veloso and the lush melodies of Tom Jobim, Sessa’s sound, by contrast, has a deliberate minimalist treatment rarely found in contemporary Brazilian music, more reminiscent of the bareness of Leonard Cohen. Sessa propels Grandeza’s devotional sounds towards decisively modern territory.
