No one has lived a life quite like Marcos Valle, and his latest album “Túnel Acústico” proves that no one makes music quite like him either. Valle’s journey from bossa nova wunderkind to global music icon has been as eclectic and daring as his sound, and with his 23rd (!) studio album, he brings it all full circle. If you thought Marcos Valle had already given us everything over his six-decade career, you haven’t heard “Túnel Acústico” yet.
Valle’s life has been a whirlwind of cultural intersections—an overnight international sensation in the ’60s, a fugitive from Brazil’s military dictatorship, a brief expatriate dodging the Vietnam War draft in Los Angeles, and a pop icon sampled by everyone from Kanye West to Jay-Z. Yet, for all his adventures, Valle’s heart has always been where the groove lives, and on Túnel Acústico, he returns to the soul, samba, and bossa rhythms that have defined him, while still pushing boundaries into the future.
“I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it’s melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album,” Valle explains, and on this record, that sentiment becomes a sonic adventure. He revisits two gems conceived during his time in late ‘70s LA: “Feels So Good,” a soul-stirring collaboration with the great Leon Ware, and “Life Is What It Is,” originally co-penned with Laudir De Oliveira of Chicago. Both tracks evoke an era when Valle was blending West Coast soul with his inimitable Brazilian flair, but they’re more than nostalgia trips. Valle’s updated renditions—particularly the pulsating groove of “Life Is What It Is”—are soulful, joyous explosions of rhythm that sound as fresh and vital as anything released today.
Túnel Acústico is a vibrant tapestry of old and new. With core members of the legendary Brazilian jazz-funk outfit Azymuth—Alex Malheiros on bass and Renato Massa on drums—Valle dives into a rich, textured soundscape. The infectious rhythms on tracks like “Bora Meu Vem,” co-written with Joyce Moreno, or the breezy “Nao Sei,” featuring the unmistakable voice of Céu, highlight Valle’s ability to craft music that feels both effortlessly light and deeply resonant.
Valle has never been one to shy away from collaboration, and here he brings in an impressive lineup of Brazilian talent, including longtime co-writer and brother Paulo Sergio Valle. The result is a reflection of Valle’s commitment to his roots while embracing the present. Songs like “Tem Que Ser Feliz” radiate with the kind of joyful urgency that defines the best of Brazilian music, and Moreno Veloso’s contribution to “Palavras Tão Gentis” adds a poetic depth to an already sublime album.
And then there’s “Thank You Burt (For Bacharach),” a heartfelt tribute to the legendary composer who passed in 2023. Valle’s affection for Bacharach is clear, and this emotional closer brings Túnel Acústico to a reflective, bittersweet end. It’s a love letter from one great composer to another, and a reminder of how Valle’s career has always been a dialogue with the global music world.
What’s remarkable about Túnel Acústico is how seamlessly it bridges Valle’s past with his present. The demo of “Feels So Good” was discovered on a shelf, 44 years after it was recorded, yet with modern production techniques—including AI-assisted stem separation—it’s been transformed into a standout track that feels timeless. Valle’s ability to recontextualize the old into something new is a testament to his genius as a musician.
Marcos Valle is not just a composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist—he’s a shapeshifter. From definitive bossa nova to iconic disco pop, and now, a fusion of jazz-funk, samba, and sophisticated soul, Valle continues to evolve, bringing joy and deep emotion to each phase of his career. Túnel Acústico is not just another album; it’s a masterwork that distills the essence of who Marcos Valle is: an artist whose music knows no boundaries, only possibilities.
