Seu Jorge and Almaz
Seu Jorge and Almaz
(Now-Again Records)

Seu Jorge’s rich baritone on his new album Seu Jorge and Almaz is intoxicating and made even more steamy when set aflame by dusty disco samba, thriving vintage soul and illumine, ecstatic, sweltering guitar solos and rhythms. Spacey and avant-garde, sometimes quirky yet terribly pliant, mysterious and groovy with reverbs of slinky guitars and echoes of lazy keys, all help to create a incredibly unique album of cover songs.

Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” is made exuberant by the funky levitation of electric guitar and the beauty of Jorge’s vocals. On Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” both Jorge and his band creatively remove all forms of semblance from the original version and roll it into a jaunty alt-pop song. Jorge almost speaks more than sings the lyrics over a disjointed disco with searing upbeat guitar. Other songs on the album include “The Model” originally by Kraftwerk and Tim Maia’s “Cristina.”

Renowned Brazilian singer/songwriter, Jorge is also an actor whose filmography includes City of God and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The unique combination of psychedelic soul, upbeat pop, and rhythmic western burnout songs is delectably tied together by the fully-toned and rich vocals of Seu Jorge poured over enlivened rhythms, which are only made superior by Almaz.