Pryor Stroud: Mozambican troubadour Deltino Guerreiro has crafted an ebullient fusion of African polyrhythms and vintage American soul, and, in “Duas Caras”, he allows the song’s elated-beyond-words melodic centerpiece to fill his voice with shimmers of color and propulsive force. He alights on certain words — and traverses their phonic terrains — like a traveler who comes and goes without unpacking his bags; inventive, agile, and acutely interested in the expressive potential of the mouth’s shape, his phrasing alone is worth paying attention to. [8/10]
Emmanuel Elone: Hailing from Mozambique, Guerreiro melds soul, R&B, and traditional African polyrhythms on “Duas Caras”. With a large variety of instrumentation delicately being layered atop one another, the song picks up momentum as Guerreiro’s vocals rise about all of the beautiful melodies and rhythms below. Though “Duas Caras” does lose some of its vibrancy and flavor that it had at the start, it still remains an awesome track that showcases not only the traditional music of Guerreiro’s home country, but the numerous other genres from across the world that have inspired him as well. [7/10]
Jordan Blum: The rhythms are really striking, as is the world music instrumentation and subtle orchestral embellishments. There’s an unpredictability here that makes it consistently alluring, and it definitely reveals new layers with multiple listens. To be honest, the vocals could be a bit more gripping and distinctive, but they still complement the music well enough. It’s a very vibrant and dynamic track. [8/10]
Chad Miller: Can feel a bit tiresome throughout the five minute song due to so much of it sounding the same. The last half does a lot to save it though as soon as the brass comes in. It’s short lived, but we get some additional vocal phrases into the mix, giving the song some extra layers. [6/10]
Chris Ingalls: I have no idea what’s being sung here, but I dig it. The exotic, unadorned instrumentation starts things off in an unassuming manner, but it’s soon joined by more electronic pulses, while Guerreiro lets his strong, potent voice glide over the whole thing. A joyous, pure celebration. [8/10]
Deltino Guerreiro’s new album Eparaka releases 7 April 2016 via Kongoloti Records.
SCORE: 7.40
Enjoy a free download of “Sonho”.