By Bob Tarte

Speaking of DJ Dolores, I'm afraid that the Brazilian mixologist's wildly creative concoctions have spoiled me when it comes to listening to his countrymen's work. Hip-hop is one thing. But the Portuguese-language rap on The Inspiring New Sounds of Rio de Janeiro (Verge) failed to inspire me, since I still struggle to get by as an English-speaking monoglot. That means I have to look for meaning in the way the various artists on this anthology structure the instrumental portion of the songs, and these are only occasionally strong enough to hold my attention. I do like the guitar riff appropriated from vintage Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" that opens Movimento na Rua's "Soldados Nunca Mais," and I admire the way the salsa-samba horns complement Gabriel Moura's exuberant vocals on "Brasis." Eking more depth from these songs requires a soul with deep understanding of the poetic intricacies of Portuguese, and I'm so far from even pronouncing the artists' names correctly that I lack what I require from these tracks.