Nina Maia – INTIERA Review

What does Nina Maia sound like?

Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova get submerged in modern prog rock and indie pop.

The review of ‘INTIERA’ by Nina Maia

At for forefront of Brazil’s contemporary indie music scene is Nina Maia. Her debut album ‘INTEIRA’ showcases songs that have been cooking for up to seven years. Nina says this album took a band approach as she focused on figuring out the live sound and production choices in rehearsals before ever going near a studio to record it. As a result, this album has a live feel to it with intriguing production choices. It merges Brazilian Samba elements with contemporary blues and pop. I’ve not heard anything quite like it.

Merging the modern and the traditional starts right out the gate with ‘CARICATURA’. This tempo-switching opener flips from sultry blues to manic bass riff bossa nova at a heartbeat. With lots of synths, production quirks, and fun ideas – it’s a playful opener that tells you one thing: don’t expect a straightforward ride. Nina won’t be giving you one. Instead, she’ll be whisking up a treat of disparate decades, genres and influences to create something fresh and vibrant. ‘Kaô’ is a heartbeat-pulsing wave of electronica, blues and jazz. The electronic pulses give the song a modern feel but other instruments sift in and out. When they do, they take over and other instruments drop away as if the mic is a spotlight on the stage. It is clever and hypnotic, as is ‘MAR ADENTRO’ which uses Bossa Nova beats and thick bass synths to swim the blues of Nina’s mind. Nina’s voice captivates in its smooth, sultry nature, letting minimal wind and Cuica sounds pepper the background.

Nina Maia’s voice is the main instrument of the album and ‘Sua’ makes that clear. Each song features Nina’s voice in a layered arrangement but in ‘Sua’ there is very little else around her. Bass guitar, synths, and distant programming phase in and out across this minimalist piece but it is all about the dreamy voice. There is something very retro about the arrangements and there are moments of vocal flutters like a butterfly wing that hint at an exotic sensuality too. Not all songs are dreamy and extravagant. ‘MENININHA’ is like a post-industrial trip-hop track full of metallic production. Maia turns her voice into a percussive synth beatbox to live amongst the drums whilst the increasingly rocky and dark tones flood the speakers. Everything is off-kilter in a sultry murderer way. It is a personal album highlight as it is genre and expectation-defying.

Turning back to heritage and influences, ‘Amargo’ is a beautiful ballad. The washed-out strings cloud the mellotron and vocal performance like a fog. If Brazilian folk could personify a foggy morning, this would be that song. If ‘Amargo’ is fog, then ‘SALTO DE FÉ’ is morning dew. The first half of the song is largely a hushed, calming electric piano and vocal performance. This then unfurls into a more bombastic and symphonic outro that brings romance, reverie and drama. I wished the outro was extended further as it’s such a satisfying climax to this section of the album. The heaviness lifts and the album sounds reborn anew. That joy comes through in the Samba-infused finale ‘INTEIRA’. Here the triumphant, celebratory Samba drums pound out a mid-tempo rhythm to support Nina’s uplifting vocal arrangement. It is a great way to end the album – open-eyed, bushy-tailed and triumphant.

Nina Maia said one of her biggest influences was the collective Clube da Esquina. They are a 60s and 70s Brazilian band who mixed rock, prog rock, bossa nova and jazz into their music. This is exactly what Nina Maia is doing 50 years later. Her recipe is different but all the ingredients are the same. ‘INTEIRA’ is a wonderful fusion of ideas, sounds and genres that spread over decades of time. Nina’s voice is captivating and her vocal arrangements often throw an unexpected curveball to keep you on your toes too. With so many influences and ideas, this could have been an incohesive collection of songs but here is where all the band practice has paid off. Everything flows together – even the genre-defying elements. South America has a thriving music scene and Nina Maia deserves to be right in the heart of it.

Recommended track: SALTO DE FÉ

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