Rock Paper Scissors - Seu Jorge, Cru (Wrasse)

By Mabel Suen

When I first saw Seu Jorge, he was a 10-foot tall vision of wonderment on a movie theater screen. Even with only one English speaking line in the whole movie, I was impressed with his performance.

As Pelé dos Santos, a trademark red ski cap wearing crew member aboard the Belafonte, he captivatingly crooned his bossa nova rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while pirates ruthlessly invaded. This cover, along with 10 other Bowie songs stripped down to only acoustic guitar and roughly translated Portuguese lyrics were featured throughout Wes Anderson's film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou."

He amazed me yet again during his performance in the Oscar-winning Brazilian film, "Cicade de Deus" ("City of God"), directed by Fernando Meirelles. Having grown up in a favela, or Brazilian slum, himself, he was appropriately cast for the role of Handsome Ned, a charismatic gang leader seeking revenge over the death of a loved one in the violent war ridden neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.

Before his on-screen debut in "City of God," he was already a celebrity icon in Brazil.

His first musical group, Farofa Carioca, was a Brazilian pop sensation. After launching his solo career, he earned the 1999 album of the year award in Brazil for "Samba Esporte Fino."

After another solo album, "Carolina," released in 2002, the 35- year-old star has put together another album of soulful singing and guitar playing.

"Cru," Portuguese for "raw," features 12 tracks comprised of eight original songs, two covers including Elvis Presley's "Don't," and two bonus remixed tracks. With an intuitive ear and a little help from a language translation website, I began to pick the CD apart.

The first track, "Tive Razao," which translates into "I Was Right," starts off with an upbeat salsa-like succession of chords played on a ukulele, joined successively by an acoustic guitar, small percussion instruments such as a drum and shaker and subtle synthesizer noises in the background that seemingly mimic a steel guitar or saw. The lyrics, although foreign and incomprehensible, are entrancing as Jorge sings with smooth vocals that vary from deep to high ranges.

The next two songs were a bit different from what I was expecting. "Mania De Peitao," or "Large Chested Mania," comments about his feelings against excessively large breast implants while a tribal sounding drum beat and ukulele play with a weird synthesized ambient noise heard through a lot of the album that sound almost like monkeys squawking from a distance at different pitches.

The result is a sound reminiscent of a jungle rave. "Chatterton," a take on French singer Serge Gainsbourg's song about suicide was a bit stranger. Sung in a low growling voice accompanied by a bass synthesizer, the song escalates as Jorge proceeds to sound like a grown man imitating a baby. Then he coughs violently, laughs maniacally and ends the song with a gasp for air.

Thankfully, the next song was a return to his dreamy vocals and pleasant acoustic guitar melodies. With a peaceful, almost jazzy lounge feel, the song "Fiore de la Citt," evokes an image of lying on a beach on a perfect day while waves wash blissfully ashore. His slow, seductive singing lulls listeners into a nearly dreamlike state. The remainder of the album does not stray too far from this style. However, different elements such as wah guitar, electric bass, background vocals, hand claps, hip hop beats and beautifully haunting chord structures are sometimes incorporated.

By and large, listening to Cru was exceptionally enjoyable. After piecing it back together, I was very satisfied with the results. What I discovered was a wonderful album, full of enchanting melodies, festive rhythms, and awe-inspiring vocals. Seu Jorge incorporates contemporary ideas into traditional Brazilian music that triggers an out of this world experience. If you feel like taking a brief vacation from yourself, give "Cru" a chance.