If you have seen the movie “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” then you have seen Brazilian musician Seu Jorge (his website is here). His character was the one singing David Bowie covers in Portuguese. Since the movie, I have been enjoying the Steve Zissou sessions. But, recently I acquired his debut album Cru and am enthralled.

From his presskit:

Jorge was once a homeless kid in a favela (Brazilian slum) outside of Rio de Janeiro. By age ten, Jorge was repairing tires to help support his family.

“Getting out of a favela is a big deal. Gangsters are so powerful. Drug trafficking is rife, and no one has jobs,” he recently told The Independent (UK).   Having spent years turning his energies to music and theater, Jorge landed the part of Knockout Ned in City of God, the film that put an international spotlight on favela life, poverty, and violence. This untainted, street credibility shows through whether Jorge is on screen or on stage.

The music on Cru (which translates as Raw) is driven by Jorge’s voice, and while the most obvious accompaniment is acoustic guitar and percussion, there is a subtle electronic presence at times as eerie as a musical saw. Other times the acoustic percussion hints at a hip-hop beat. But the mostly-bare production allows the voice and soul of Jorge to shine through, not too different from a kind of Nick Drake universe.

I was recently fortunate enough to see the video to the lead off single, and my favourite track from Cru, Tive Razão, which has cameos from Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe. There is a version of it on Youtube, but not the best quality. Here it is nonetheless.