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ALBUM OF THE DAY
19 JANUARY 2026
CRIOLO, AMARO E DINO
CRIOLO, AMARO FREITAS, DINO D'SANTIAGO
Released 15 January 2026
Criolo Producoes
****-
Three singular voices meet on shared ground, where Brazilian song, jazz intuition and Lusophone soul lock into something quietly powerful.
Criolo, Amaro Freitas and Dino d’Santiago each arrive with distinct artistic identities shaped by place history and social engagement.
Criolo is one of Brazil’s most influential contemporary artists, emerging from São Paulo’s hip hop scene before expanding into samba soul MPB and politically charged songwriting.
Amaro Freitas is a Recife based pianist whose work has reimagined jazz piano through Afro Brazilian rhythm spiritual jazz and compositional rigor.
Dino d’Santiago bridges Cape Verdean heritage with Portuguese pop electronic music and R&B, often foregrounding questions of identity diaspora and belonging.
Though their paths differ, all three transcend the limits of genre and share a commitment to music as lived expression. Criolo, Amaro e Dino is not a supergroup statement but a meeting of equals, shaped by listening, exchange and mutual respect.
The album is built around restraint and space, so that voice piano and rhythm interact without one dominant. Criolo’s vocals anchor the record emotionally, his phrasing conversational and grounded, often carrying more weight through tone than lyric density. Amaro Freitas resists the urge to dominate, favouring sparse figures rhythmic nudges and harmonic colour that subtly reshape the songs’ emotional contours. Dino d’Santiago brings a different warmth, his vocal presence and melodic instincts softening edges and opening the music outward.
The music draws subtly on Brazilian song forms, jazz improvisation and Lusophone soul, as tracks unfold patiently, often circling a single idea.
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