#OnRepeat: Djavan "Muito Obrigado"

This week for the #OnRepeat post is about a Brazilian singer-songwriter that I came across while doing research for my graduate thesis: Djavan. I have been stuck on the song, "Muito Obrigado",  for the whole past week, so I figured I'd tell you all about him. In case you're not too familiar with Djavan, he is most commonly associated with Música Popular Brasileira, or Popular Brazilian Music. One of his most popular hits is the song, "Flor de Lis," but he has also recorded other songs such as "Esquinas" and "Meu Bem Querer", and many of his compositions have been performed by other talented Brazilian performers.

As you may have noticed, the song "Muito Obrigado" is in Portuguese. Some may think of this as a barrier keeping them from connecting to the music. Although his music is mostly in Portuguese--I'm not fluent either, but am slowly learning--it doesn't take away from the fact that the music swings. The intro is characteristic of the 1970's, but when the drums and percussion come in, the groove hits you. Many of Djavan's songs utilize Brazilian rhythms such as Samba, but it is this particular song's melody and rhythmic phrasing of the words that make it such a memorable song.

I also really admire musicians, like Djavan, who practice restraint when they perform. This is another reason why I chose to talk about him this week. He knows that the song itself already has a lot going on in the percussion section, in the words and rhythmic phrasing of these words, so he doesn't do anything extravagant or virtuosic with his voice (melismas, scatting, etc). This actually gives not only this particular song a certain feel, but gives Djavan his characteristic sound.

I hope you guys enjoy the song and that this post causes you to branch out, exploring other types of music that you might not normally listen to--even songs in different languages. Has there ever been a time where you felt moved by a song or performer, even thought you didn't speak the same language? Let me know in the comments below!