On the title cut of Fazer e Cantar, Paris-based Brazilian singer/songwriter Diana HP opens her new album with Portuguese lyrics, “E muito bom poder cantar aqui, e como abrir as portas do alem” meaning “It’s great to be able to sing here, and to open the doors of the beyond.” It sets the stage, bossa style, for her world music that combines sensuous singing with Latin rhythms and infectious electronic spunk. Next up, Diana HP sings “Le Jour” in French about the day dawning, sun shining and her feeling of contentment.   In 3/4-time, the only cover is “Voo no silêncio do azul” that is music for a breezy flight through blue skies.

While the previous two albums from Diana HP (aka Diana Horta Popoff) have been more standard and acoustic in nature, Fazer e Cantar is more focused on retro-futuristic musical exploration with a number of fine instrumental collaborators from a group called the “JazzBastards.” On numbers like “Delikatessen” and “Brincadeira,” the rhythmic groove of Mathias Allamande’s bass and Vincent Taeger’s percussion stand out as Vincent Taurelle’s keyboards provide their supple, understated delivery. “Balanco” includes some sweet guitar soloing by Ludovic Bruni.              

Diana HP comes from a musical family (her father a bassist and mother a flutist) from Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais, north of Rio. The area, known for its spiritual and reflective music, was also home to Milton Nasciemento. She studied singing, flute and piano and first performed concerts in her early-20s. After relocating to London, she moved to Paris in 2013, where she produced her albums, Algum Lugar (2013) and Amor de Verdad (2018).

Now, with production assistance and her musical cohorts, Diana HP seems to be reinventing herself with a new moniker, as well as a musical vision for dreamy, haunting music that has an alluring Latin-tinged world pop sound without boundaries.HP is very hip (pardon the pun). With one foot in tradition, her sights are also set on the horizon to see where music will take her in the future.  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)