Everything I could find on this album is in Portuguese, and I don't totally trust the translators. So bear with me. BNegão takes a reggae base, drops in Brazilian rhythms, jazz concepts and then raps, sings and generally does everything else to propagate his vision.

BNegão Metamorfoses, Riddims e Afins (self-released)

As near as I can tell, these songs are not only a critique of Brazilian society but something of a blueprint for future improvement. My Spanish helps me a little (and words like "Injustiça" aren't hard to parse). But all that aside, what BNegão has created is one of the slyest, slinkiest and funkiest albums I've come across in some time.

To call this reggae is accurate if you have a very expansive view of the sound (I do lean that way). But there are far too many elements dumped into the mix to really settle this sound into any particular slot. I guess "stuff that makes your butt move even if you're in bed with pneumonia" might be the best description, but there are damned few artists who truly fit. BNegão is one.

I suppose it's possible that this album sounds somewhat more conventional to Brazililan ears, but I did come across an interview where BNegão tries to explain the word "riddim", which tells me that us northerners might understand the reggae (both traditional and dancehall) better than folks down south. In the end, it just doesn't matter. This stuff is gloriously sticky.

Jon Worley