Paulo Tó’s single “Ajuste de Contas,” featuring Siba, is a tough, stripped-back track that ties Afro-Brazilian traditional rhythms to direct, unfiltered political songwriting. Taken from his latest album Cantos da Revolução, out via YB Music, the song blends maracatu, ciranda and contemporary textures to deliver a sharp reflection on injustice, labour exploitation, and the unfinished struggles of working people.

Tó, based in São João da Boa Vista, São Paulo, has spent the last decade shaping a career between songwriting, production, and political engagement. On Cantos da Revolução, he reinterprets protest songs from the Portuguese resistance against dictatorship, originally written by artists like Zeca Afonso, José Mário Branco, and Sérgio Godinho. Working with producer Maurício Tagliari, Tó pulls these songs across the Atlantic, weaving Brazilian rhythms like frevo and jazz into the original structures without softening their political bite.

“Ajuste de Contas,” originally composed by Portuguese singer/songwriter and guitarist Fausto Bordalo Dias in 1975, stands out for its stark clarity: heavy percussion, minimal arrangement, and lyrics that don’t soften the realities of exploitation. Siba, a key figure in manguebeat and Brazilian folk innovation, brings a sharp, grounded vocal performance that keeps the focus firmly on the song’s core message.

The lyrics lay it out plainly: the worker builds value that is taken by the boss, and day after day, the theft continues — until it becomes clear that it’s time for a reckoning. With lines like “Vamos ao Ajuste de Contas” (“Let’s Settle Accounts”), the track is less about symbolic protest and more about confronting a rigged system head-on.

Shared today, 1st May — International Workers’ Day — “Ajuste de Contas” feels particularly timely. Without needing slogans or sentimentality, it’s a reminder that exploitation isn’t an abstract idea, but something lived, measured, and fought against every day.

Cantos da Revolução also features guests from across the Lusophone world, including Angola’s Jéssica Areias and Mozambique’s Lenna Bahule. Across the album, Paulo Tó fuses research, history and music into a direct, contemporary call to remember, rethink, and act.

You can stream, listen and get your copy of Cantos da Revolução HERE