Johnny Alf's sophomore LP bridges the gap between the
Sinatra-inspired crooner sensibilities of his early career and the embryonic bossa nova approach of his creative heyday to forge a hip and sophisticated sound unique in the singer's catalog. Blessed with a stellar supporting cast led by pianist/arranger
Celso Murillo, guitarist
Neco, and bassist
Luiz Marinho,
Diagonal captures
Alf at his most soulful, contrasting his ragged-but-right vocals against lush, string-sweetened backdrops -- although a tad sentimental at times, the album's jazzy energy never flags, buoyed by the light, exotic tempo of the bossa beat.