Alright, so Alex Forte just dropped Morena, and if you thought this was going to be another polite, introspective soul EP that quietly nods at identity and floats away; think again. This thing says something. It’s bold, deeply personal, and unapologetically rooted in Afro-diasporic experience, pulling from both African American and Afro-Brazilian culture like it’s braiding together two halves of a shared memory, thick with rhythm, resistance, and pride. There’s no tiptoeing here, Forte simply walks straight into the complexities of heritage, colorism, and cultural survival with the kind of emotional clarity most artists spend entire careers avoiding.
The EP draws heavy inspiration from City of God and Forte doesn’t just borrow the film’s aesthetic or cool points. Rather, he inhabits it. He takes the spirit of that chaotic, sun-drenched world and uses it to map out his own experience as an African American artist grappling with questions of identity, belonging, and ancestral connection. The result isn’t just music. It’s storytelling at its most embodied; where every beat feels like a heartbeat, and every lyric could be carved into concrete.
Across five tracks, Morena unfolds not as a linear narrative, but as an emotional mosaic. It’s a portrait of the self as seen through mirrors on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Forte claims space here. And he’s doing it with the kind of musical finesse and cultural insight that makes you stop what you’re doing, take off your headphones, and say: “Wait. This matters.”
A clear standout comes in Bizarre Ride, which is strange, stylish, and emotionally volatile in the best way that earns its title well. There’s groove, there’s grit, and there’s this constant feeling that Forte isn’t just performing; he’s remembering.
The title track Morena is where everything slows down and sharpens. It’s intimate, raw, and beautifully complicated; exactly the kind of song that makes you want to text someone you haven’t spoken to in years and apologize for not understanding them. And then there’s Oasis (Free My Soul), the closer. My god. If this track were a person, it would stare you down, give you a hug, and then quietly leave you in tears. It’s that good. A soft landing after a heavy flight.
So no, Morena by Alex Forte isn’t background music. It’s not even foreground music. It’s the wall, the floor, and the whole damn room. Morena by Alex Forte isn’t an EP that asks for attention. It demands it, and earns every second.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for publications in the US and former lead writer of Atop The Treehouse. Reviews music, film and TV shows for media aggregators.
