Finally, it could be up and over for the great Ed Motta, the Rio-based singer, songwriter and prismatic talent who should really be as big in the UK as he is back home in Brazil. This 12th studio album by the man Gilles Peterson calls ‘The Don’ is a polished and impressive affair, with a starry line-up of West Coast session players weighing in on 10 originals that showcase Motta’s extraordinary vocal range and penchant for smooth yet street smart tunes that tug at the heart strings and push at the boundaries of jazz, soul and even prog rock. Poetic sensibilities abound on English language tracks including the velvety opener, ‘Captain’s Refusal’, a track that variously recalls Donny Hathaway, early Earth, Wind & Fire and Gregory Porter at his finest. That the album was produced and arranged, in California, by Kamau Kenyatta, who helmed Porter’s debut album and forthcoming release, makes sense. Utterly gorgeous.