Singles Spotlight:
Eric Hilton –
“Alma Boa (feat. Natalia Clavier)”

Hello reader,

How are you?

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I’m excited to talk about Eric Hilton, a producer, musician, DJ, and restaurateur, best known as a co-founding member of the electronic duo The Thievery Corporation alongside Rob Garza. Thievery Corporation was founded in D.C. in 1995 and has been creating ambient electronic music by combining elements of bossa nova, hip-hop, Indian rock, and reggae, among others. The duo also helped pioneer the Downtempo genre of electronic music, which includes ambient house, chillwave, lo-fi hip hop, and psybient subgenres. Garza and Hilton also co-founded the Eighteenth Street Lounge Music label, aka ESL Music, an indie label that has released all of Thievery Corporation’s studio albums. 

Hilton solo career includes the album as Peace Bureau, Inner City Booms (1997), and, as himself, the albums: Infinite Everywhere (2020), The Impossible Silence (2020), Ceremony (2021), Lost Dialect (2022), Corazón Kintsugi (feat. Natalia Clavier) (2023), Sound Vagabond (2024), Out of the Blur (2024), Midnight Ragas (2025) and A Sky So Close (2026).

And on Friday, November 20th, Hilton’s newest album, The Easy Underground, arrives for our listening pleasure. A press release for one of the album’s singles notes, “An homage to Hilton’s long-standing fascination with the elegant, cinematic, and frequently overlooked sounds of the 1960s and ’70s, The Easy Underground spirits listeners away to a breezily romantic world of whispered promises and slow-burned deep kisses. Joining Hilton for this project is longtime musical compadre Natalia Clavier, who sings on nine of the album’s 13 tracks, in multiple languages. Fans of Thievery Corporation’s 2013 album Saudade will find The Easy Underground tonally adjacent, with flavors of bossa nova, Brazilian rhythms, and female vocals present on both. But while the two records share some common ingredients, Hilton’s solo recipe has deeper grooves, more space, and isn’t following an established blueprint. Pre-order The Easy Underground via Hilton’s official website HERE.”

I was so intrigued at that point, I had to listen to the song, “Alma Boa (feat. Natalia Clavier)” immediately. I don’t think one can go wrong with bossa nova, Brazilian rhythms, and female vocals. It sounds like a recipe for success, especially with Eric Hilton involved. Which is how it became the song we’re shedding some light on as part of today’s entry into SWT’s Singles Spotlight series. For those looking to add more vinyl to their collection, the press release noted, “Hilton is also offering an exclusive, limited-edition color 7-inch vinyl featuring “Alma Boa” with a B-Side titled “Chase The Sun,” a track originally released as a digital exclusive for the iconic Café del Mar compilation series. With just 150 copies pressed worldwide, the collectible 7-inch brings together two sides of Hilton’s signature sound and offers fans a rare addition to their vinyl collections. Pre-order the 7-inch via Hilton’s official store HERE.”

Now that we’ve explored a bit of Hilton’s past and upcoming album, let’s talk more about “Alma Boa” in Hilton’s own words via press release, explaining that “‘Alma Boa’ grew out of my love for Brazilian music and bossa nova, particularly the recordings from the 1960s that have influenced me for years,’ Hilton says. ‘I wanted to capture some of that warmth and sophistication, but do it my own way. Vocally, Natalia Clavier brought her own unique flair to the song. Her voice fits so naturally into the joyful-yet-cool atmosphere and gives the song a personality of its own. ‘Alma Boa’ is the perfect lead-off track on The Easy Underground album, taking the sounds of classic easy listening somewhere a little unexpected.”

The title translates to good soul, and it perfectly describes how the song feels as you listen. As stated above, it is warm, cool, and joyful as well. From its opening melody that propels the song forward to its notes of keys and percussive beats, the result is a samba for the mind and body. Try not to groove and dance as you listen. I think it is an impossible task. Especially when you throw in some shimmering brass and Clavier’s incredible vocals. And a chorus or two on repeat. The vibes are immaculate. Spectactular. While we don’t get to talk about bossa nova and Brazilian music as often as I’d like to, today’s a good day to do so. And a good opportunity to start by learning from someone with a long-standing respect for the history of both. Begin that journey by listening to more of Eric Hilton, and Thievery Corporation to start with. Happy exploration!

Check out the lovely song, “Alma Boa (feat. Natalia Clavier)” from Eric Hilton’s YouTube channel:

(All credits and rights to Eric Hilton)

Here is the cover art for The Easy Underground:

The track list for The Easy Underground:

1. Alma Boa feat. Natalia Clavier
2. La Musa feat. Natalia Clavier
3. Caminhos feat. Natalia Clavier
4. Promise Me feat. Natalia Clavier
5. Brooklyn Sicilians
6. Look What You’ve Done feat. Natalia Clavier
7. Soft Focus
8. The Easy Underground
9. Mi Buenos Aires feat. Natalia Clavier
10. Le Miroir feat. Natalia Clavier
11. Silent Samba
12. Innocent Eyes feat. Natalia Clavier
13. Vai Chegar feat. Natalia Clavier

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | USA | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for our Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews series. And for checking out all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com