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Rubel
Beleza. Mas agora a gente faz o que com isso?
Mr Bongo - Cat No: MRBLP320
- updated:2026-06-19
Excitement is building for Rubel’s new release, especially with his upcoming visit to Japan via FRUE. Also released under license by Mr. Bongo. The vinyl is now in stock. It features string arrangements by Arthur Belocay and a digital mixing process. The saudade, sense of rhythm, and attention to detail are all superb. Highly recommended. (Saito)
Track List
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1. Feiticeiro Gozador
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2. A Janela, Carolina
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3. Ouro
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4. Azul, Bebê
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5. Pergunta ao Tempo
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6. Noite de Réveillon
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7. Carta de Maria
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8. Praticar a Teimosia
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9. Reckoner
For his fourth studio album, Brazilian troubadour Rubel returns to his roots with a sublime, stripped-back, singer-songwriter classic. Beleza. Mas agora a gente faz o que com isso? which translates to “Beauty. But now what do we do with it?”, was produced at home by Rubel and reconnects with his acoustic side: the idea of predominantly using simply vocals, guitar, and strings. A bossa nova and MPB-leaning body of work at its core, the album is a deeply personal and introspective journey, with the focus directed at the beautiful, simple essence of the songs.
Comprising seven original compositions penned by Rubel, the album also contains two majestic covers. 'A la Ventana, Carolina' by El David Aguilar is reworked into Portuguese by Rubel under the title ‘A Janela, Carolina’ with the air of a long-lost classic. To close out the album, Rubel puts his distinctive spin on Radiohead’s ‘Reckoner’, with the revered Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai adding to the beautiful, melancholic textures through his string and horn arrangements.
The new record brings listeners back to Rubel’s origins, focusing on an intimacy and immediacy through voice and guitar that were unveiled on his debut LP Pearl from 2015, and refined on 2018’s Casas. The result is a personal and revealing repertoire that contrasts with his last album, the bold, innovative, and collaboratively focused As Palavras Vol. 1 & 2 from 2023.
Dealing with themes such as the passage of life, time, love, friendships, losses, and gains, the album is rich in delicate and honestly composed songs. The album opener 'Feiticeiro Gozador' instantly draws you in. Tender and soul-baring, it’s perfectly accompanied by a luscious string arrangement and graceful piano, giving a timeless nature to the track. Elsewhere, a future classic is found on the seductive and cinematic 'Ouro' that must be one of Rubel's finest songs. A heartfelt beauty that morphs into a hip-hop-tinged beat sure to touch your soul. That contemporary edge follows on ‘Azul, Bebê’, a drum-infused song that has that MPC sample feel of the golden beatmaker era.
With this fourth album, Rubel is becoming one of the key writers and performers of his generation, on a trajectory heading up to the heights of João Gilberto, Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, and the classic Brazilian songbook. He has managed to achieve that rare balance of appealing to both the mainstream and the underground in one celestial and cinematic swoop.
Comprising seven original compositions penned by Rubel, the album also contains two majestic covers. 'A la Ventana, Carolina' by El David Aguilar is reworked into Portuguese by Rubel under the title ‘A Janela, Carolina’ with the air of a long-lost classic. To close out the album, Rubel puts his distinctive spin on Radiohead’s ‘Reckoner’, with the revered Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai adding to the beautiful, melancholic textures through his string and horn arrangements.
The new record brings listeners back to Rubel’s origins, focusing on an intimacy and immediacy through voice and guitar that were unveiled on his debut LP Pearl from 2015, and refined on 2018’s Casas. The result is a personal and revealing repertoire that contrasts with his last album, the bold, innovative, and collaboratively focused As Palavras Vol. 1 & 2 from 2023.
Dealing with themes such as the passage of life, time, love, friendships, losses, and gains, the album is rich in delicate and honestly composed songs. The album opener 'Feiticeiro Gozador' instantly draws you in. Tender and soul-baring, it’s perfectly accompanied by a luscious string arrangement and graceful piano, giving a timeless nature to the track. Elsewhere, a future classic is found on the seductive and cinematic 'Ouro' that must be one of Rubel's finest songs. A heartfelt beauty that morphs into a hip-hop-tinged beat sure to touch your soul. That contemporary edge follows on ‘Azul, Bebê’, a drum-infused song that has that MPC sample feel of the golden beatmaker era.
With this fourth album, Rubel is becoming one of the key writers and performers of his generation, on a trajectory heading up to the heights of João Gilberto, Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, and the classic Brazilian songbook. He has managed to achieve that rare balance of appealing to both the mainstream and the underground in one celestial and cinematic swoop.
Huber is a unique talent who, while hailing from Rio de Janeiro’s MPB scene, has long since transcended the boundaries of MPB to pursue a multifaceted career. Starting with his indie-folk-tinged debut album Pearl (2013), he further expanded his sonic range on his second album, Casas (2018), creating a dazzling work that incorporated orchestral arrangements and hip-hop. On his subsequent third album, As Palavras, Vol. 1 & 2 (2023), he returned to his roots in Brazilian music while also showcasing tracks with a funk-inspired sound.
Although Hubel has expanded the breadth of his sound through various approaches over the years, on this new album, Beleza. Mas agora a gente faz o que com isso? (2025)—his first release in two years—he adopts a slightly more restrained arrangement and returns to folk music, which can be considered the root of his artistic methodology. Drawing on the fruits of his journey over the past decade as fuel for his creativity, he has produced a simple yet rich chamber folk work.
In contrast to his previous album—a major work featuring 20 tracks—this album contains a total of 9 songs. Two of these are cover songs: a Portuguese-language cover of “A la Ventana, Carolina” by Mexican singer-songwriter El David Aguilar, and a cover of the iconic track “Reckoner” from Radiohead’s 2007 album In Rainbows. Hubel sings these delicate songs with a falsetto voice that seems to follow in the footsteps of Thom Yorke, gently enveloping them. The string arrangements, which seem to crawl along the ground, were crafted by the masterful Artur Verocai.
There is no doubt that MPB is currently a minority genre in the Brazilian music market. However, Huber—one of the scene’s biggest names—has once again produced a masterpiece that follows in the footsteps of pioneers like Caetano Veloso.