An album, more Portuguese than ever, where melodies become urgent and words gain ground, with choirs, percussion and ancient complicities painting the portrait of a real and intimate country.
The name of composer Rodrigo Leão has been known to the Portuguese public since his time with the band Sétima Legião. Later, he joined Madredeus, a project with which he reinforced his visibility. In 1993, he released his first album under his name, Ave Mundi Luminar, beginning a solo career that would include an extensive discography, which also includes soundtracks and collaborations with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy), Beth Gibbons (Portishead) and Michelle Gurevich.
Now, thirty-two years after his debut as a solo musician, comes O Rapaz da Montanha. And there is no way to avoid the adjective: Rodrigo Leão’s new album is surprising, both in musical terms and even in terms of the composer’s career. He admits, “It was an unexpected album. I had it in my head for three years, and I was building it in a very focused way, in a different way from the previous ones, where the composition came out without a specific time or intention. Here, from that phrase by Ana Carolina [Costa] ‘If God forgives those who deceive/who forgives God?’ [included in the song Cadeira Preta], I immediately started thinking about what I was going to do. And now that it’s finished, I think it’s the most Portuguese album I’ve made to date.”
This notion of identity is true: it runs more intensely through several of the composer’s albums and is visible in the compilation Os Portugueses (2018). And indeed, this new album can fit into this identity that, in one way or another,r has always been present in Leão’s work.
Now, in 2025, O Rapaz da Montanha indeed presents a change in form and substance. Musically, the use of choirs (in which the composer himself participates), which reinforces a collective feeling, and a marked percussion in some themes immediately evokes some Portuguese singer-songwriters from the 1970s, something that Leão recognises.
In terms of lyrics, a change in approach is also noticeable: the ethereal and melancholic feelings that are so well represented in Leão’s work give way here to a more direct language, which dialogues with a difficult but true reality. The words show men “trapped in that gear” (The Mountain Boy), subjugated women with a desire for freedom (Guarda-te), people searching for themselves (Andava Eu, Estranho Imperfeito), the hard work at sea (Lobos do Mar) or characters who struggle with their mortality and are hostages in the most terrible of territories – the country of “If”, of what remains to be done (Madrugada). As usual, Ana Carolina Costa is the author of most of the words, with the exceptions of Gito Lima (Imperfect Stranger), Francisco Menezes (Hope) and João Pedro Diniz (Endless Wind). In the end, what remains is a call to action, to free ourselves from the shackles of our days, a fight that is worth facing but that never dispenses with the sky of hope. “There’s nothing down there/ but there’s so much to do!”, they sing in O Rapaz da Montanha.
Rodrigo Leão’s creative world is always closely linked to affection, whether through family or friends. Unsurprisingly, new and old accomplices appear on this album, such as Pedro Oliveira (childhood friend, singer of Sétima Legião, co-producer of the album with Leão and João Eleutério and involved as a musician in several tracks and singer in Esperança) or a friend and accomplice in several projects (Sétima Legião, Madredeus and Os Poetas): the accordionist Gabriel Gomes. There is also room for guests such as José Peixoto (classical guitar), Carlos Poeiras (accordion), Francisco Palma (vocals) and the illustrator Tiago Manuel, who effortlessly become honorary citizens of Leão’s work. His close family also collaborates: in addition to the author of the words and his wife Ana Carolina Costa, his children Sofia, Rosa and António are present throughout the album. Even the musicians that Leão called for this album reflect years of work and complicity: the singer Ana Vieira – the main voice on the album -, Viviena Tupikova (violin), Bruno Silva (viola), Celina da Piedade (accordion), Carlos Tony Gomes (cello and author of the string arrangements), João Eleutério (guitar, bass and synthesizer), António Quintino (double bass) and Frederico Gracias (drums and percussion).
It would be wrong to say that O Rapaz da Montanha represents a revolution in Rodrigo Leão’s musical universe. It is rather a consequent evolution, which, even though it brings changes, does not abandon one iota of the composer’s musical identity. With a long and notable career, restlessness and curiosity remain alive in Rodrigo Leão.
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