Jorge DREXLER awoke with the fateful song already in his head.
The night before, the Uruguayan singer-songwriter had read the script for "The Motorcycle Diaries" for the first time since director Walter Salles invited him to write a composition for the movie. Drexler recalled going to bed early, moved by the story of a formative journey across South America taken by Ernesto Guevara as a young man, before becoming the iconic revolutionary the world would come to know as Che.
The next morning, the introspective troubadour started recording the tune that had emerged so lucidly from his sleep. By lunch, he had finished the song that would take him from relative pop music obscurity to the global stage.
Drexler's "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" (On the Other Side of the River) is nominated for an Oscar for best song, a category that rarely includes a foreign-language entry. This year, lightning struck twice with two non-English numbers among the five nominations. The other is the French song "Look To Your Path" (Vois Sur Ton Chemin) from "The Chorus."
Drexler's work enjoys the additional distinction of being the first Spanish-language song ever nominated in Oscar's 77-year history.
"That is something worth celebrating in itself," said Drexler, 40, by phone from Barcelona, where he was performing. "I think we're seeing a process of opening to Latino culture beyond the common stereotypes. Cultural imperialism still exists, but the system has cracks and suddenly something totally unexpected sneaks through."
Drexler's mellow voice evokes the low-key, literate style of, say, a James Taylor or Pedro Guerra, perfectly suited to his occasionally wry, philosophical lyrics. His music is a distinctive blend of roots music from his native Uruguay, with Euro-electronica traces and a strong modern pop sensibility. Still, some say Drexler is too sophisticated and, as a result, overlooked by a domestic Latin music industry that puts a premium on commercial imports.
Although Drexler released seven studio albums, composed scores and songs for four previous films, earned nominations for a Latin Grammy and an MTV Latin America award, he never had an album released in the U.S. -- until now.
Warner Music Latina is rushing out his latest CD, "Eco," with the Oscar-nominated song as a bonus track.
