Brazilian albums everyone should listen to

Brazil's music and why it is the best

I listen to many international artists, but I often argue that Brazilian music is the most diverse, unique and interesting there is. Our many great artists leverage their talent and the beauty of brazilian portuguese to create great tunes. Below is a non-exaustive list of some of my favorite brazilian albums:

  • Getz/Gilberto - João Gilberto
    • The record that popularized bossa-nova world-wide
  • Alucinação - Belchior
    • Many themes, including dictatorship in Brazil
  • Músicas Para Churrasco Vol.2 - Seu jorge
    • Throw a barbecue with your friends
  • Zeca Apresenta: O Quintal do Pagodinho - Zeca Pagodinho feat. many artists
    • Three different albums of high quality samba with some of our greatest sambistas
  • Fé na Festa - Gilberto Gil
    • Pays homage to some of Forró’s greats
  • Sobrevivendo ao Inferno - Racionais MC’s
    • Raw, seminal brazilian rap album.
  • Di Melo - Di Melo
    • Upbeat tunes
  • Cuban Soul: 18 Kilates - Cassiano
    • Underrated brazilian legend
  • Maria Fumaça - Banda Black Rio
    • Upbeat tunes
  • Egito Madagáscar - Olodum
    • Hard to explain, but it is an important album
  • Acabou Chorare - Novos Baianos
    • Chosen the greatest brazilian album by rolling stones magazine. Don’t know if I agree, but easily in the top 10
  • África Brasil - Jorge Ben Jor
    • Jorge Ben Jor’s work spreads through decades, adding new themes, layers and sounds. He is so great that Rod Stewart copied him
  • Samba Esquema Novo - Jorge Ben Jor
    • See África Brasil
  • Força Bruta - Jorge Ben Jor
    • See Samba Esquema Novo
  • A Tábua de Esmeralda - Jorge Ben Jor
    • Unique, original, unmatched.
  • Hermeto Pascoal e Sua Visão Original do Forró - Hermeto Pascoal
    • Hermeto can make music out of anything. One of a kind.
  • Os Afro-Sambas de Baden e Vinícius - Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes
    • Genius sambas that pay homage to Brazil’s african roots
  • Da Lama ao Caos - Chico Science e Nação Zumbi
    • Maracatu with heavy guitars and great lyrics
  • De Primeira - Marina Sena
    • Great artist from Belo Horizonte
  • Guentando a Ôia - Mundo Livre S/A
    • One of the best Manguebit albums
  • Mil Coisas Invisíveis - Tim Bernardes
    • Tim Bernardes is one of the best artists to come out in recent years.
  • Legal - Gal Costa
    • Gal is unmatched, she can sound raw and delicate all in the same album.
  • Raízes do Samba - Cartola
    • Beautiful, melancholic samba. Probably my favorite sambista
  • Gil e Jorge - Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben Jor
    • When two of our greatest reinvented their own tunes with a lot of psychedelic elements and live improvisation
  • Boogie Naipe - Mano Brown
    • Brazilian rap legend reinvents himself with original music inspired by disco, r&b, and funk
  • Pearl - Rubel
    • Delicate, thoughtful, original.
  • Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai
    • Underrated, has been sampled by foreign rappers many times
  • Relicário - João Gilberto
    • One of the last live presentations by João Gilberto
  • Wave - Tom Jobim
    • One of Bossa Nova’s greats
  • Tim Maia Racional, Vol. 1,2, and 3 - Tim Maia
    • Inovative
  • Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua - Ana Frango Elétrico
    • Ana is a young brazilian talent, definitely worth listening to them
  • O Amor, o Perdão e a Tecnologia Irão nos Levar para Outro Planeta - FBC
    • FBC reinvents himself once again

This list may be updated, but many great songs can be found in average albums. Although I won’t list them here, you can follow my spotify playlist here