Seu Jorge – ‘The Other Side’ album review: A career highlight deserving the worship of vinyl
Brazil has always punched well above its weight when it comes to musical geniuses. From the age-old days of traditional tribal folk rhythms to the dictatorship days of bossa nova revolution and beyond, the country has always been brimming with creative musical minds. In the modern age, though, there is one that stands out among all the rest, and that’s Seu Jorge.
The Skinny: At this point in time, Jorge has been a regular fixture of Brazilian music for over 20 years, during that time exposing his genre-defying blend of MPB, soul, jazz, and rock and roll to audiences far beyond the borders of his Brazilian homeland.
Each new album seems to offer a new development of the songwriter’s sound, whether that’s beautiful Portuguese-language covers of the David Bowie songbook, high-energy dance music indebted to American soul, or the traditional folk stylings of South America. Even with that ever-evolving output in mind, though, Jorge’s most recent effort, The Other Side, feels like a peak that will be tricky to re-summit.
In case you are primed to question Far Out’s punctuality, this album did indeed originally come out in early May. However, it is only now that The Other Side has been given a vinyl release and, without wishing to sound like a format purist, it is an album that almost seems tailor-made to be heard on wax.
Without feeling any degree of redundancy or derivation, Jorge beautifully evokes the sound of an era gone by. In these grand, timeless compositions, spurred on by the collaboration between the songwriter and Mario Caldato Jr, Jorge draws from the golden age of jazz, soul, samba, and bossa with incredible effect.
For an album of such intense sonic diversity, helped along by its various collaborators, including Beck, Maria Rita, and Zap Mama, The Other Side flows beautifully throughout the tracklisting. It is not an album to be relegated to background music, despite its easy listening influences. For the entirety of the runtime, from its orchestral moments to the more stripped-back intimate offerings, Jorge commands the utmost attention of the audience, feeling more like a seminal live performance than a studio album.
Almost as if demonstrating his unique ability to adapt to those different styles, the penultimate track of the album sees Jorge take on Nick Drake’s ‘River Man’, a difficult task – as proven by the godawful Nick Drake tribute album The Endless Coloured Ways from 2023 – which the Brazilian artist pulls off with effortless grace, adding new layers of beauty to Drake’s timeless vulnerability.
Standout Track: ‘Luz Na Escuridao’
The Verdict: At this point in his illustrious career, Seu Jorge’s talents should come as no surprise, but on The Other Side, he eclipses his own greatest moments, crafting a truly timeless album that serves to reflect the songwriter’s expansive range of influences, his penchant for collaboration, and the sheer magnitude of his performance.
Release Date: July 10th, 2026 | Producer: Mario Caldato Jr and Seu Jorge | Label: Amor In Sound
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