Album review: Rodrigo Leão, Songs (2004-2012) (Glitterhouse)

Since leaving the group Madredeus, Portuguese composer Rodrigo Leão has let his muse drift between rock, classical and movie music, all areas feeding into this latest album which features guest vocalists fronting his jazz-pop arrangements.

Melancholy and regret are the dominant moods, whether it's Beth Gibbons singing how “the pleasures I seek are far too discreet for me” over a sway of Piazzolla-esque accordion, Joan As Police Woman in the stately waltz “The Long Run”, lamenting how her partner's ardour is fading, or Neil Hannon crafting beautifully turned lines of devotion to his “Cathy”.

Download: The Long Run; Deep Blue; Cathy; The Lonely Carousel