Call Upon The Author

‘Creation Room’ may be the fourth album from Brazilian three piece Chapa, but it’s their first to be recorded in English. The Fagundes brothers have been highly successful on home soil, and have now relocated to London and offer up this album to the mass market to launch themselves on a world stage. Will it be a success? Well, it definitely has the potential to be.
Chapa’s sound is easy on the ear, and should have mass appeal. Their three piece comprises guitar, piano, drums and lots of pleasant harmonies. Pop fans will like it because it’s chirpy and easy to sing along with, but manages not be bubblegum. Indie fans will appreciate the clean sound, nice rhythms and note perfect harmonies. Soft rock fans will like it because it has hard edges amongst all the niceness. Fans of world music will respond to the South American influences – in short, lots of people will find something to like here, and there is plenty to like.
Looking at some of the tracks individually, opener Before You Go is also the first single from the album, and has some real momentum. It brings to mind military marches and shows off how well these brothers sing together. Just A Dream is a pretty, plaintive ballad in the vein of Keane: the first of several on the album. The band manage to deliver this heartfelt sound with sincerity and a decent level of skill, particularly in the cracking Somebody is Crying For You, which builds brilliantly into a guitar driven, piano flecked climax. Silver Falls is another slow paced track, with just a hint of reigned in anger that makes it a little bit more than your average longing love song.
In fact, it is probably Keane who are the easiest band to draw a comparison to, but Chapa also bring to mind The Feeling: however, you shouldn’t let that put you off. Somehow, Chapa manage to deliver the same sort of music but without being as wishy-washy. Yes, it’s gentle and pleasant, but there is a sharpness and an honesty that lifts their music just out of the mediocre. It’s not an album that will necessarily change your life, but there is lots to like about it. It is incredibly easy to listen to, and has obviously been put together with a lot of care and consideration. In short – worth a listen.