It’s been a long wait for São Paulo songsmith Sessa’s follow up to 2022’s sultry and succulent ‘Estrela Acesa’ album. That record, all cosmic haziness wrapped in the soft power of relaxed bossa-funk, marked a highpoint amongst the rising new wave of MPB with its illusive moodiness and uncanny magic. After the introspective delicacy of his ‘Grandeza’ debut, Sessa on this follow up was pushing forward with a Tom Zé singularity in true Tropicalia spirit .
So the announcement of his third album ‘Pequena Vertigem de Amor’, released once again via taste-makers Mexican Summer, comes with a surge of expectation and a pinch of curiosity. What way will Sergio Sayeg aka Sessa be taking his luscious music this time around?
Context is the key here because since ‘Estrela Acesa’ Sessa has become a father. Consequently, he admits “for the first time I saw music move from the center to the side of my life” with his song-writing shifting to a more in-the-moment spontaneity. The signals are that Sessa’s music has gone, in his words “a bit more nocturnal, open-ended, crooked funky”.
The first single from ‘Pequena Vertigem de Amor’ shows how this loose, wonky soulfulness can sound. Vale a Pena (tr. “It’s Worth It”) croons gorgeously. An early hours rhythmic sway, gently burbling bass, light guitar strums and a refreshingly laid back piano hook set the tone for a song mapping the joys and complications of Sessa’s new life as a parent. His understated tenor is perfect, sometimes a whisper, sometimes weary but always sensitive, tracing new emotions with the swooning strings and cuddly sax fills.
Yes Sessa is back and the ‘Pequena Vertigem de Amor’ album is shaping up to be a must-have.
Pre-order your copy of the ‘Pequena Vertigem de Amor’ album by Sessa from Mexican Summer HERE
