Eco [Import]

Jorge Drexler | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Wea International
• ASIN: B0001XGOTM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #582,055 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > World Music > South & Central America > Uruguay

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For many gringos, Uruguayan singer/songwriter Jorge Drexler’s arrival was announced by his quietly strummed performance of "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" during the closing credits of The Motorcycle Diaries. The song wound up winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, but this kind of acclaim is nothing new for talented Drexler: he's already a major pop star in Latin America. Using South American roots styles for subtle flavor, Drexler's music combines a sophisticated blend of modern production, acoustic guitar-based songs and a myriad of different slightly electronic touches. His voice has the same kind of sensual but thoughtful tone we’ve come to expect from Caetano Veloso. While the title track sounds like it could be one Coldplay's sweeping anthems, Drexler gets verbal for the talk/singing "Guitarra Y Vos," which a real highlight. Longtime fans will consider Eco, his seventh album overall, up to his high standards, but this is a real eye opener for those who are just coming to the table. --Tad Hendrickson --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Product Description

During the span of his successful music career, Uruguayan singer/song writer Jorge Drexler has maintained top position in the Latin pop genre. Jorge Drexler is well known not only for his interpretation, but also for his talent in writing great songs. The success of his album Eco (which was released in the 90's throughout Spain, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina), catapulted this artist to superstar status. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Caetano or David Byrne of Uruguay, April 8, 2005

By 

JG "wordmule" (...onward....thru the fog!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eco (Mcup) (Audio CD)

A fellow David Byrne fan from Uruguay first posted some comments on DB's bulletin board about Drexler getting snubbed from the Academy Awards because he wasn't "...famous enough..." to sing his own song (reminder to self: just one more reason to never watch that crap). Drexler told Nic Harcourt of KCRW recently he wrote a letter of protest to the Academy Awards, and wasn't happy about it. Even Antonio Banderas didn't feel right about singing it, but relented in the end. Drexler turned out to be the one to laugh last, as he sang a few lines from his song in lieu of an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. He reminds most immediately of Caetano Veloso's London exile years ("Joia", "Muito", and "Bicho"), and has the seemingly effortless intellectual range of Caetano and David Byrne. Very gentle, intelligent, and intense. His lyrics are nothing short of sublime. It helps if you understand some Spanish, but this is music that can be appreciated for its own sake. Unbelievably talented singer songwriter, who may soon become much more known in the U.S.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry in Motion, May 10, 2005

By 

A reader (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eco (Mcup) (Audio CD)

The comparisons I've read here to Caetano Veloso are apt, since they're both tenors and Drexler has that Brazilian vocal style: no vibrato and a soft delivery. And like much of Brazilian music (Veloso is Brazilian -- Drexler is from Uruguay), Drexler's songs are lyric-driven. He has a lot to say, and says it beautifully. I often listen to music in foreign languages and find that it's no impediment if the music and rhythms are compelling enough. The songs on this disk have that special quality. But fortunately, I understand Spanish and therefore can thoroughly enjoy the philosophical musings, quirky insights, and breathtakingly sensual and romantic poetry that accompany these infectious arrangements.

Like most North Americans, I first learned of Drexler through his Academy Award-winning song, written for the wonderful film, The Motorcycle Diaries. The movie is a true account of a cross-continent motorcycle trip taken by a young Che Guevara as a bourgeois medical student. It depicts how his eyes are opened to the injustices suffered by poor people in his native South America. If you find a good translation of the lyrics to Al Otro Lado Del Rio you may be impressed, as I am, by the understated, subtle way in which Drexler speaks for the idealistic young Che, on the verge of becoming a revolutionary.

Drexler is a thoughtful and original composer and lyricist and a very good singer. Eco is worth owning and it gets better with repeated hearings. I recommend it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JORGE DREXLER IS GOOD WITH OR WITHOUT HOLLYWOOD, March 1, 2005

By 

MariaGitana (San Diego/Tijuana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eco (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Jorge ever since I heard one of his songs a few years ago. His peaceful voice and fresh song style drew my attention immediately...his music combines delicately composed guitar, very soft electronic beats, and incorporates South American rhythms in a style never done before, in my opinion...

He is definitely not mainstream...his style and lyrics have a unique "southern cone" identity. This can be recognized instantly by anyone familiar with those countries, their peoples, cultures, and poetry...for anyone who appreciates unique and non-commercial music, he is definitely worth a try...

I felt the need to give the opinion that while the Oscar was good in giving exposure to Jorge, the fact that they did not allow him to sing his OWN song, with his own unique style and voice, was a slap in the face... The only good thing that came out of this event was the exposure to a true Latin American gem in music...

and the fact that ALL of the Latin-Americans/Spaniards at the event voiced their disappointment to such a disgraceful decision, proving that Latin Americans can unite at times regardless of cultural differences.

La musica de Drexler es buenisima con o sin el Oscar...