To hear Lincoln Olivetti and Robson Jorge’s debut album from 1982 is to hear a platinum-plated Brazilian iteration of American boogie and funk. It teems with joy and good times, all delivered by a deceptively sophisticated groove and charts that keep tightening and swerving to new heights. They crafted big hits for MPB’s biggest stars from 1982-1987, but also became big targets for the critics, charged with degrading Brazilian music with slick, outside influences, so much so that they never made another album. Olivetti continued to work as producer and arranger, but Jorge fell into despair and alcoholism, passing away in 1992 and their work relegated to oblivion for the rest of the 20th century.

So it’s a small miracle to have these five tunes emerge in 2023, with no need for AI to finish writing a lyric or resolve a zagging chord progression. These songs were hashed out in jamming sessions, earmarked for a follow-up album that never quite materialized. The intervening years have done little to diminish their wonder. Hearing Jorge’s six-string upstrokes entwine with Olivetti’s gleaming chords on “Suspira” just as the horns arise behind them is a true delight. The relentless groove of “Dance Baby” and percolating keys and bass squelches of “You” would scan as new in a chillwave set. One of Olivetti and Jorge’s talents is that even if the song was unfinished, the chops and arrangements were always sculpted, so even in an unfinished state, these tunes stand up. One of the finest rediscoveries of the year.