Moro No Brasil

With its potpourri of native Brazilian genres and bits and pieces grabbed from elsewhere, all of it living happily together under one rhythmic roof, Farofa Carioca's Moro No Brasil, recorded in 1998 but unreleased in the United States until 2006, brings to mind the wild, progressive Brazilian tropicalia movement of the late '60s — not that it's a psychedelic sounds by any means, but rather that it bucks convention and goes wherever it wants to go without concern for categorization. Elements of hip-hop, funk (lots o' funk), Latin and rock clash with samba, reggae and whatever else seems to fit at the moment, and somehow it meshes seamlessly, a solid groove at every turn. The eight-piece band, formed in 1997, was led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Seu Jorge, who would later go on to a successful solo career as both musician/singer and actor (City of God and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Although Farofa Carioca gives little indication of the direction in which Jorge would later head, it serves as the only living documentation of the Brazilian star's earliest efforts in the studio.