About

Krok means “step” in Belarusian - and for Alex Chumak and his band this word comes with a lot of meaning. It’s the title and theme that run throughout СОЮЗ (SOYUZ)'s fourth album, reflecting the journeys the band has navigated in recent years, having moved to Warsaw due to political unrest in their homeland of Belarus and the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Embracing the uncertainty became both the inspiration and main lyrical theme for Alex Chumak, SOYUZ’s composer and arranger, who also decided to go a step further and change the language in which he writes songs from Russian, which is used as lingua franca in many post-Soviet countries, to his native Belarusian. The result is nine songs about dreams and outer space, ordinary miracles, things very close and very distant at the same time. 

Deeper and more melancholic than previous works, Krok is quintessentially SOYUZ, laced with hope, dreams and a celebration of life. Given the difficulties with finding rehearsal and recording spaces in Warsaw and the departure of the drummer Anton Nemahai from the band, Chumak explored alternative options. He reached out to friend and fellow musical collaborator, Sessa, about the possibility of recording the new album in his recently finished studio in São Paulo, with Sessa and Biel Basile coming onboard as recording engineers.

Though primarily recorded in Brazil, Krok is not a Brazilian or MPB album. It blends the bands' Eastern European roots with jazz, folk and global influences. The genre of the music is hardly identifiable: there are folk ballads and jazz-driven pop compositions covered in lush and often dissonant string and woodwind arrangements where each note is placed with care and meaning behind it. 

Broad in its palette, Krok is full of highlights. The title track was the first song Chumak wrote in Belarusian as an adult, making for a fitting opener and one of the band’s finest tracks. Darker than most of SOYUZ’ songs, the tensions lift and lighten as the track progresses. The cinematic library jazz of 'Voo Livre', with ghostly vocals sung by Ciça Góes and Ina, feels like a modern twist on the Italian library composer Alessandro Alessandroni through its sublime choir and woodwind orchestration. Elsewhere, the heartfelt 'Lingua Do Mundo', composed, written, and sung by Chumak and the incredible Tim Bernardes, features one of the standout string arrangements from Chumak and Karch. 'Cichi Karahod' is an instant SOYUZ classic, almost Pat Metheny-esque as it opens, with the acoustic guitar and bass riff transitioning into jazzy AOR / pop-folk territory. The record closes with 'Smak žyćcia', a gentle, dreamy spoken-word poetry piece in Japanese by singer-songwriter Manami Kakudo. 

Despite immense challenges, SOYUZ have delivered a career-defining album in Krok. Heartfelt and beautiful, it is not an imitation of the past, but rather a truly original, contemporary expression all of its own. — (via Label)

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For their fourth album, Krok, the members of Soyuz went to Brazil to record at the invitation of like-minded musician Sessa, taking full advantage of the atmosphere in one of the countries whose music influenced their sound to such a large degree. They finished the record back in their adopted home of Poland, and the result is a magical version of the jazz-meets-MPB-meets-soundtrack-music style they had been working on for years.

This time around, they dig more deeply into the smooth side of the equation with several songs powered by soft strings, bubbling electric piano, and wordless vocal choruses. A track like "P7 Blues" is a perfect encapsulation of their approach, bopping along like incidental music in a very stylish film while also captivating thanks to the arranging skill and instrumental flourishes. Most of the album is anchored in similar territory, though the instruments do shift form song to song, with synths coming to the fore on "Voo Livre," soft rock acoustic guitars and jazz-adjacent flutes on the lovely "Kali ty zapytaješ," and athletic drums giving the title track some zing.

The occasional vocals — like on the crushingly pretty "Nici" — that dot the album are breathy and sweet, providing just the right amount of laid-back soul into the mix. Tim Bernardes' high-register vocal gymnastics give "Lingua Do Mundo" some zazz, and the music rises to one of the few non-relaxed moments to be found.

Soyuz's previous albums were quite good, showing all kinds of promise. Krok is where they cash that in and make their first bordering-on-great album. It's easy listening that's never boring, each song creating a mood that hard to shake even after the record stops spinning and the harsh realities of everyday life begin to slink back into one's consciousness. – (via AllMusic)

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Label: Mr Bongo
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Released: 2025
Genre: Latin, Jazz, Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: AOR, Fusion, MPB, Soft Rock, Soul-Jazz, Male Vocals

File under: Latin-Influenced
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