Forty seven is quite an age to make your international breakthrough, but on the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Rogê, this Brazilian singer-songwriter, born Roger José Cury, shows the value of persistence. At home, Rogê’s engaging, sandy vocals and choppy, soul-influenced guitar brought huge success, but in a tiny arena: a 10-year residency at the downtown Rio samba club Carioca da Gema. A wider audience proved elusive, even after he co-composed the theme for Rio’s 2016 Olympics. Alarmed by his city’s escalating violence, Rogê relocated his family to Los Angeles, where an encounter with US producer Tommy Brenneck proved instant chemistry. Brenneck knew little of Braziliana, but with a CV embracing Amy Winehouse and soulster Charles Bradley, he knew talent.
The result is Curyman, 11 songs that skip across the samba lexicon; gentle, funky, yearning, centred on hope and our connection to nature and the orixás (deities). Rogê’s master stroke was to coax hallowed arranger Arthur Verocai to overdub strings. Verocai is a veteran of the golden age of 70s tropicalismo and singers such as Jorge Ben and Caetano Veloso, and that era’s joyous spirit shines through on lush but sprightly pieces such as opener Pra Vida and Mistério da Raça. An exuberant, heartwarming creation.
