Pedro Osmar — Quem Vem Lá? (CD, sealed)

Co-founder of Jaguaribe Carne with his brother Paulo Ró, Pedro Osmar spent decades away from songwriting, immersed in free improvisation, sound poetry and the cultural guerrilla movement that shaped the music of Paraíba. With Quem Vem Lá? he returns to the song form with 32 tracks spanning his entire career, in an album that works as a self-portrait.

Here are classics of Paraíba's songbook such as Baile de Máscaras and Nó Cego, recorded by Elba Ramalho in the 1970s, and Mote do Navio, recorded by Lenine. Alongside them are co-writes with Paulo Ró and Águia Mendes, as well as songs never before sung by their author. The arrangements are contemporary, and the boldness of Pedro's experimental side runs through every song, setting them apart from any version recorded before.

Released independently, the album was named by critic Sílvio Osias, writing in Jornal da Paraíba, as one of the best of 2017. It is an essential document of one of the most inventive and generous artists from Brazil's Northeast.