Missing Izabella, Bruno and Kiko from Natiruts? The good news is they're back on the scene with the InNatura project. But to find out the best news, you'll have to see and hear this debut DVD/CD, Um Artista Brasileiro. For those who knew Bella and Bruno as backing vocalists of the Brasília band, one of the great names of Brazilian reggae, there will be a big surprise: they stepped forward and finally revealed their voices, defending a repertoire that encompasses their songs with Natiruts, gems from new songwriters and some unreleased tracks of their own. In acoustic format – basically guitars and voices – the songs reveal new paths for these Brazilian artists: reggae remains a reference, but now their music also has strong folk, soul, samba-rock and even jazz – always naturally, which is how things happen for this group.
It was 11 years of Natiruts until Izabella Rocha and Bruno Dourado decided to take a break. They became parents to little Gabriela and, in 2006, concluded it was better to leave the road and take care of life. In the calm of family life, new musicalities flourished. Suddenly, there they were rehearsing songs with Kiko Peres, master guitarist who had left Natiruts in 2002 to dedicate himself to a solo career and phonographic production projects. In casual rehearsals, on Saturday afternoons, over six months the repertoire and arrangements of Um Artista Brasileiro were outlined – incidentally, that was the name of an intimate show in which Izabella sang songs by some of the new songwriters she had met on Natiruts tours.
The first InNatura show ended up being the DVD recording – in June 2007, at the Martins Pena hall of the Teatro Nacional de Brasília, directed by José Eduardo Belmonte. Without pressure, totally independent, Bella, Bruno and Kiko then showed what they came for. There could be no better calling card than the track "Beleza Divina", one of the unreleased songs on the DVD, which Izabella and Kiko composed for the soundtrack of the short film Uma Questão de Tempo, by Catarina Acioly. In it you can perceive that Bella had a whole voice hidden, now shining in a folk-pop of many delicacies and high spirits – "seu corpo balança, anuncia a primavera", she sings. The party continues, with the trio plus backing band (Jair Santiago on guitar, Hamilton Pinheiro on bass, Txotxa on drums, Fernando Palau on piano and keyboards, Edinho on percussion) on "Sorriso de Flor", a composition by Rafael Pondé, former member of the Bahian reggae band Diamba. "Agora tenho que plantar / na roça pra vender na feira", sing Bella and Bruno, reinforcing the countryside mood, tranquility amid natural beauties, in yet another folk-pop that bears the InNatura mark.