
Carolina Joao Nogueira and Jorge Ben, the greatest names in Brazilian popular music, have acclaimed the work of Seu Jorge. He is fresh and multi-talented. He is Rio's malandro Street culture with every prerequisite to achieve master status.
This is his first solo album since leaving another very successful Polygram act called Farofa Carioca... A band that conquered the Brazilian pop scene at the end of the 90s with a tune called "Moro no Brazil" (translation: I live in Brazil). The group performed a mixture of music-circus-theatre and the audiences loved it. Everything started in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. The same mean streets where Seu Jorge lived and gained experience of life as a homeless street child.
Needless to say that Seu Jorge has street attitude, and his samba has street and hip-hop social awareness like never before. This album is co-produced with Mario Caldato producer of hip-hop groups like the American Beastie Boys .
Seu Jorge just turned up to Marios house in LA with a few demos and in 2 weeks produced the best brasilian album of the last 10 years. Thats how it is. Mario says...
"I THINK HIS MUSIC IS PURE IN VIBE AND HE BRINGS IN SOME NEW BLOOD, REVISITING THE OLD STYLE OF BRASILIAN SONGWRITING AND SINGING.... HE CAN REALLY ROCK A PARTY HE HAS SO MANY INCREDIBLE SONGS. "
So far no one has managed to bridge the gap between the old and the new Afro-Rio life. No one has managed to touch black and white, rich and poor, young and old with a simple and wise street poetry that we call malandro culture.
The track "Carolina" has the characteristic swing vibe of people like Jorge Ben, Bebeto and Serginho Meriti. "Chega no Suingue" is a samba-soul track that makes us remember Carlos Dafe, and Dafe himself actually participates in the last track of the album called "De Alegria Raiou o Dia". The track "Mangueira" is Brazilian funk via Funk'n Lata and Ivo Meirelles. There is a pagode-style track called "Pequins and Pitbull", it is a homage to Zeca Pagodinho with Dudu Nobre playing a mean ukelele.
The man himself, Jorge Ben composed a new song for this album. It is a reggae track called "Em Nagoya Eu vi Euriko". This guy seems to charm everyone and he has powerful friends aiding his shining star. Azimuth's drummer Mamo, Paulinho Black the virtuoso bass player, and producer Artur Maia, Banda Black Rio's keyboard player Willian Magalhes, Josimar Monteiro (violin player), Serginho Trombone and Velha Guarda da Mangueira are among the friends giving a hand on this debut album.
Seu Jorge starred in City of Gods as the infamous Knock-out Ned character and also in Life Aquatic...
When I first heard Seu Jorge’s renditions of my work, I was startled by the simplicity and candour of his performances. With nothing more than a classical guitar and a heavily accented voice, Jorge has taken my compositions and quite literally made them his own…. David Bowie
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