Brazilian answer to Jack Johnson

I first heard Seu Jorge the way I imagine most Americans were introduced to the Brazilian answer to Jack Johnson: via "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." His covers of David Bowie hits were brilliant -- and not just for the face value of hearing Ziggy Stardust acoustic and in Portuguese. The remastered songs shined as mellow and intricate. \nFor his new release, Jorge followed with similarly great material -- deceptively complex, samba-influenced wonders.\nThe approach I took to this album was a strange one for me -- I knew I would respect it, even if I hated it. And I don't hate Cru.\nI don't love it either: The things that turn me off about Jorge's music are small. \nWhat I guess are likely cultural influences and musical norms elsewhere are disaffecting. For example, "Chatterton" features a back beat full of instrumentations intended to sound jungle-esque and Jorge nearly chokes to death during the album version of the song.\nBut don't let nuances stop you from picking up Cru. This is an erratic album, but when it shines, it shines in any culture.\n"Fiore De La Citta" finds Jorge doing his best Sinatra, and "Tive Razao" -- likely "the single" -- is just an enticing song. \nJorge also covers Elvis Presley's "Don't" in perfect English, though the song is haunted by similar jungle-like instrumentations. \nThe great thing about Jorge is the cross-genre appeal. While I don't think meatheads will be supplanting their daily dose of bland rock with the wonderful croonings of this musical master, Jorge appeals to my like of blues, jazz, pop and worldbeat stylings.\nI look for an album to inspire me to do one of a few things: make my own music, make love or simply chill (think: Slim Thug's Already Platinum, M.I.A.'s Arular). Cru, like only a few other albums, does all three.\nThe accomplishment of this album seeps out of the speakers. For the consistent world-music junkie or jazz connoisseur this album is an obvious A+ purchase. For the musically inclined and generally interested, Cru should find its way to your shelves eventually. \nFor the iTunes inclined, check out "Tive Razao" and "Mania De Peitao" if you want to sample Cru before a potential purchase.