Daniela Soledade, who plays. Bayboro Brewing Co. in St. Petersburg, Florida on Jan. 17, 2024. Credit: Photo by Nate Najar

Fresh off a sold-out European tour (and last week’s gig at the Peace Memorial Concert Series) songwriter-singer Daniela Soledad presents a new, loosely socially-conscious and environmental program featuring covers (“Amazon Farewell” by Djavan), plus originals like the salutary “Aquele Abraço” and the landscape-adoring “Samba Do Avião.”

Soledade’s longtime guitarist and collaborator Nate Najar told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that drummer Claudio Infante—one of Brazil’s top studio drummers, who appears on Soledade’s Deco Tropical album due next month—will actually be in the ensemble, which should bode well for the dance-oriented portions of the show.

Najar, who’s played alongside timekeepers for Michael Jackson (Ricky Lawson) and Prince (John Blackwell) added that if he had to pick one drummer to play with for the rest of eternity, it would be Infante.

“You cannot do any better. He has so much experience and so many resources across so many different aesthetics and approaches and he brings all that to the proceedings. His tempo does not waver and yet the feeling is a buoyant cushion that gives the music both foundation and an incredible forward momentum,” Najar added. “It’s a truly visceral experience to be in the room with him playing the drums.”

Patrick Bettison joins him and Soledade to man keyboards and harmonica, along with Joe Porter on the bass and Carl Amundson on electric guitar.

Tickets to see Daniela Soledade play Bayboro Brewing Co. on Friday, Dec. 17 are still available and start at $18.