by Steph Cosme
My Universe is the luminous jazz and Latin album from Argentinian-born vocalist Maria Puga Lareo. Lareo invites the listener into a program of ten songs where jazz, Brazilian saudade, and R&B-rooted colors coalesce in refined, cinematic arrangements. Co-produced with saxophonist Bob Sheppard, the album exudes polish and emotional honesty, carried by a top-tier Los Angeles ensemble and selections of sweeping string arrangements by Grammy winner Nan Schwartz. Across the album, Puga Lareo performs standards, Brazilian gems, and originals, showing she is a singer and a storyteller with a deep respect for nuance, phrasing, and melodic integrity.
The album opens with “Make Someone Happy,” and indeed, it does just that. Schwartz’s string writing swirls gently around Josh Nelson’s piano, as Puga Lareo floats in with a voice that is equal parts velvet and clarity. There’s emotion in her phrasing as each lyric is delivered with a romantic flow, moments of rubato, and a delicate rise and fall of dynamics. It’s a performance of elegance and poise, signaling that this is an album about vocal tone, space, and feel.
She pivots into “The Song Is You” with confidence and wit over the contemporary jazz groove and straight-ahead swing. The rhythmic elasticity of her singing pairs delightfully with Sheppard’s saxophone, both shaping lines with flair. Nelson’s piano solo is crisp, rhythmically adventurous, and harmonically rich. The rhythm section, comprising bassist Mike Valerio and drummer Christian Euman, keeps the time flowing through the different feels, allowing Puga Lareo to lean into each tradition while maintaining the melody’s stream.
A defining thread of the album is its connection to Brazilian music, and nowhere is that more evident than in the suite-like transition from “Depois De Tanto Tempo – Intro” into the full-length “Depois De Tanto Tempo.” Dori Caymmi’s harmony and melodies require sensitivity, and Puga Lareo delivers. Her vocal lines tapering with longing, always caressing the inner voice movement with natural ease. The strings act as a soft tide underneath. Alex Acuña’s percussion adds subtle rhythmic definition, giving the track a grounded Brazilian flow.
On “Spring,” also by Caymmi, Puga Lareo’s vocal phrasing has an instrumental hue in her phrasing. She lets vowels bloom and sustain across the bar lines, her tone burnished and reflective. The harmonic pacing, anchored by Nelson’s supportive voicings, mirrors the emotional sweep of the lyrics: renewal, gentle awakening, and memory.
The original material co-written with Sheppard allows for some stylistic playfulness. “Till the End of the World” is intimate, built on a slow-burning contemporary ballad form with R&B inflections. Puga Lareo’s delivery is alluring, her voice pressed close to the mic, every breath part of the melodic design. The current is slow but effective, with string framing her melodic choices in soft, pastel cadences that echo around the pocket of the rhythm section.
“At the End of the Night” continues the various styles with the funkiest overtones. Here, the band shifts gears: Valerio’s bass locks into a funk-like groove, the horns punch out rhythmic syncopations, and Sheppard adds robust commentary with his tenor saxophone lines. Puga Lareo shows off a sassier side of her vocal personality. Her rhythmic delivery, riding behind the beat in all the right places, teasing the pocket, and showing her comfort in blending jazz with soul and pop textures.
“Cherokee” lets Puga Lareo lose with an up-tempo arrangement with vivid horn parts. Puga Lareo commits fully to the rhythm while singing the elongated melody. Sheppard’s solo has energy and style. Puga Lareo scatting vocabulary is clear and in the pocket, showcasing her fluency in the straight-ahead jazz idiom.
“We’ll Be Together Again” offers a plush Latin jazz setting for Puga Lareo and Sheppard to engage in a lyrical call and response interaction. The interplay between voice and horn is clairvoyant, suggesting the depth of their musical and personal partnership.
To close, “Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar” strips everything down. Just Leo Amuedo’s nylon-string guitar, Carol Robbins’ harp, and Puga Lareo’s voice, no strings, no band, just a focus on vocal essence. This is where her control shines with meaning, her vibrato restrained, her diction crystalline. The Jobim/de Moraes classic becomes the ending sound of a solid music statement.
My Universe is a showcase of Maria Puga Lareo’s talents realized through multiple styles and ensemble configurations. It reveals a singer who understands the balance between technique and emotion, between polish and risk. It’s an album that moves fluidly between traditions while remaining personal and grounded. The blend of jazz with Brazilian and popular elements without losing identity or depth makes My Universe open to all who wish to enter. That’s the short of it!
