Hard to believe, but the once-new faces of MPB are not so young any more. For example, Ivan Lins is 62 and the ageless Djavan will turn 60 next year.
Where’s the new blood?
Running strongly through the veins of Jorge Vercilo.
If you’ve not yet heard of Vercilo this best-of compilation Perfil (“Profile”) is a perfect start. These 14 songs showcase an artist whose knack for pop hooks is matched by the artistry and good musical taste necessary to keep Brazilian music moving well into the 21st century. Several of his songs have been culled from Brazil’s popular prime-time novellas (soap operas), which have served as MPB’s breeding ground for decades.
Popular in Brazil but almost unknown in the Northern Hemisphere, Vercilo has a voice that inevitably draws comparisons to Djavan – as does his swinging style. In fact, their infectious collaboration ‘Final Feliz’, (Happy Ending) is featured on this CD and you’ll have to listen carefully to distinguish between the two voices. It was a top radio hit in Brazil.
For American audiences unfamiliar with Brazilian music, the better parallel may be someone like John Mayer, whom Vercilo actually physically resembles. But that’s just the beginning of their similarities. Much like Mayer’s, the audiences at Vercilo’s concerts are primarily young women, who swoon over his boyish good looks and sway to his sensitive singing.
In America, Mayer has gone on a crusade to show he’s no musical lightweight despite his outward appearances. It remains to be seen whether Vercilo will have to do the same in the coming years.
Vercilo’s music is pop, pure and simple, and if you choose to focus on just its superficial aspects you’ll miss out on most of what makes Vercilo so appealing. The winner of several international songwriting contests early on in his career, Vercilo is a composer first and foremost. His songs have been covered by Danilo Caymmi, Patrícia Marx and Fábio Jr.
He’s also an accomplished guitar player, who is never afraid to showcase a few tasteful licks that mesh perfectly with his songs. Just listen to the gently plucked acoustic guitar on Perfil’s best ballads – ‘Raios da Manhã’ (Morning Sun) and ‘Praia Nua’ (Naked Beach) – and the way it matches perfectly with the string arrangements. Not to mention that beautiful voice. Better yet, Vercilo’s falsetto range is a nice compliment to his clear tenor.
That said, some of Vercilo’s most musically interesting moments come on Perfil’s up-tempo songs, which are frequently propelled by an unapologetically disco beat. ‘Que Nem Maré’ (Angry Sea) gets some scatty George Benson-like guitar work that helps the song soar. With the interplay between the spacey synths and the pulsing bass, ‘Homem Aranha’ (“Spider Man”) could comfortably fit into one of Bebel Gilberto’s bliss-pop outings.
He’s also not above being musically adventurous. When was the last time Milton Nascimento tried an Italian love song that might fit comfortably among the gondolas of Venice? That’s exactly what Vercilo does with ‘Um Segredo e Um Amor’, a Brazilian-ized version of the 1953 Academy Award winning song ‘Secret Love’ made famous by Doris Day and later Connie Francis. Here, Vercilo makes himself right at home amid an accordion, a full string section, staccato horns and a strumming guitar. The preceding song, ‘Amanhaceu’ finds Vercilo melding a typically Brazilian melody with an unexpected reggae backbeat.
Several years have passed since this compilation was first released and Vercilo has certainly not rested on his laurels, having scored another significant hit with ‘Monalisa’ and releasing the CD Todos Nós Somos Um (All of Us Are One) in 2007. So if you like this album, rest assured: There’s plenty more of Jorge Vercilo’s music waiting for you.
