Music You Should Hear

(musicabrasileira.org)

With so many styles of music in Brazil, from sertanejo to mangue bit, bossa nova to funk, how is anyone supposed to know everything? It's not even a title I claim for myself though my musical quest did start 10 years ago. The first song I remember hearing from Brazil was either Zeca Baleiro's Essas Emoções or Max de Castro’s Onda Diferente. After that, I went commercial and listened to anything I could find playing on Brazilian radio stations. It was my way of feeling closer to Brazil despite being half a world away. It wasn’t long after that I started finding my own taste and that’s what I want to offer you now, some singers and songs you may not have heard of yet.

Márcio Faraco

Pretty much my favorite Brazilian singer/songwriter, he lives in France and is not well-known in Brazil but his style is very relaxing. If you like this, you may like his duet with Chico Buarque called Ciranda, which is a bit more upbeat.

Cordel do Fogo Encantado

I found these guys (apparently now defunct) after getting into Mangue Bit and Nação Zumbi. Their music is almost undefinable but it blends religious music from Portugal, indigenous music from the Northeast and various Afro-Brazilian styles. I had the chance to see them in Belém and I didn’t go...silly me.

Vitor Ramil

Another Brazilian singer/songwriter, he’s a proud gaúcho and his music is all about showcasing that. His latest disc “Délibáb” takes 6 Brazilian poems and 6 Argentine milongas (Borges) and creates unique songs from them. The following song is in Spanish but is a duet with Caetano Veloso.

Thalma de Freitas

I don’t know much about her, aside from that her father is a maestro and she is as much an actress as she is a singer. She’s talented at both. I first heard her singing Tranquilo and since then I’ve become a fan.

If you liked these songs and would be interested in searching for your own, I recommend Música de Bolso's Youtube channel, which shows many of Brazil's independent artists playing pick-up shows. Another suggestion is to use Last.fm to look up your favorite singers and then use their "similar artists" button to find new favorites.