After 15 years as a session musician, Brazilian guitarist, singer and songwriter, Andre Gimaranz’s first solo album, ‘Handmade’, was released in 2015 gaining instant attention from the industry and fans alike, resulting in Gimaranz being considered one of the best new live acts in Brazil. In 2015 and 2016, Andre was a nominee in the categories ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year’ at the IMEA Awards. He recently dropped the highly acclaimed single, ‘State of Rage and Fear’, and has now followed that up with his brand new full-length album, entitled ‘Supermoon’. Every once in a while, after making many disappointing purchases and endlessly listening to choppy pieced together efforts compiled by lesser artists who try to blend their erratic writings into something cohesive, you finally lose your faith in buying albums, preferring to stick to singles from iTunes.
And then suddenly you unexpectedly find a rare jewel…the complete album you’ve been longing for. ‘Supermoon’ by Andre Gimaranz is one of those finds. Every track from beginning to end is seamlessly tied to the next, whether played in order or in shuffle mode. The mood of each piece varies enough to maintain interest and expectation but does not become repetitive or boring.
Gimaranz’ music and lyrics has a mature, sophisticated sound on this album and, in my opinion, is his best work so far. But while at its core, everything sticks to a modern smoothly produced framework, there’s much ear candy to be found here, as Andre sticks his toe into funky soul, airy jazz, sentimental balladry, and Clapton-esque blues-rock. Besides any other accolades or awards this album may receive, as an independent work, this is truly deserving of a Grammy nomination, above all else.
Those who have bypassed Andre Gimaranz’s work up till now are missing out on some excellently crafted music. As Gimaranz has grown more confident in his work, it’s gotten better. He’s certainly one of the better songwriters in his genre today, and his vocals and guitar playing also place him in an elite class.
While ‘Supermoon’ contains a couple of surefire hits in the superlative, “State of Rage and Fear”, “The Muses Are Heard” and “A Hole on My Shoe”, it’s one of the few mainstream pop/rock albums that’s absolutely satisfying from the beginning to the end.
Apart from the pop and rock influences, Andre Gimaranz obviously has a deep abiding respect for soul, blues and jazz tones, and never is it more apparent than on this superb album. These influence run through these tracks in some way or other, and add many dimensions of depth to the arrangements.
Whether it’s “Tough Guys Don’t Dance” or “Reaching” the orchestrations are always rich, lush and fleshed out, crossing over into more than just one genre style. Make no mistake about it; Andre Gimaranz is a very talented and real individual with nothing but a great future ahead.
Out of the 10 tracks, I did not hear one that I could not identify with, or thoroughly enjoy for the musicianship, vocals, and lyrics. This recording oozes with a strong feeling of confidence and maturity at every turn. Gimaranz owns who he is musically, and does things his way, which just so happens to be the right way, in my opinion.
Andre Gimaranz’s guitar playing is clean, sharp, and biting all at the same time. His vocal style is relaxed yet very effective because of the way he brings each word from his heart to his lips; it all comes rolling out with meaning, like something he holds very close to his soul. ‘Supermoon’ is set to become a true indie classic, a sparkling and memorable production that deserves all the media attention that it will be receiving and continue to get many years from now.
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