A warm, wonderful and spare record from the mid 70s, with Caetano's voice out front, and minimal accompaniment by percussion, guitar, and keyboards. It's anything but a snoozer, though – it's got a deep rich sound, and excellent songs throughout – with even more of an emotional focus thanks to the ample spaces to be filled by Caetanos vocals! Nothing but great tracks, including "Joia", "Lua, Lua, Lua, Lua", "Minha Mulher", and his excellent cover of "Help", sung in a breathy ballad with a twist that's totally different than the Beatles' version! Great stuff – and a real fave around the DGA offices! 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: "Let It Bleed" and "Encando (Nature Boy)". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove
A lively album that mixes Caetano's rich songwriting style with a hard percussive base, which gives the tracks a fast jumpy feel, and gives even more power to Caetano's strong voice. There's little psychedelic bits, with good guitars that get noisy in parts, but there's also a warm MPB feel to the LP. Kind of hard to describe, but another unique bit of brilliance from one of the true geniuses of pop music in the 20th century. Tracks include "Um Frevo Novo", "Chuva, Suor E Cerveja", "Cara a Cara", "Qual e, Baiana?", and "La Barca". This Japanese CD edition has 6 bonus tracks: ""Barao Beleza", "E Coisa Do Destino", "Frevo Do Trio Electrico", "O Bater Do Tambor" and "Samba Da Cabeca". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove
Sweetly jazzy, funky, and soulful work from Caetano Veloso – a great departure from some of his headier work of the early 70s – and proof that he still sounds great, even when in sweetly melodic territory! The album's got some full backings from Perinho Albuquerque, but the sound is never commercial or slick – just more in the mode of some of Caetano's other 70s contemporaries, particularly some of the groovier artists over at Odeon/EMI! There's sweet keyboards, nice guitar riffs, and other somewhat soulful elements that really bring a warm glow to the best tracks here – and Caetano's vocals, although gentle at times, have a great way of fitting right in with the groove. Titles include "Gente", "Um Indio", "O Leaozinho", "Odara", and "Alguem Cantando". 2 bonus tracks on the Japanese CD edition: "A Ra" and "Diamante Verdadeiro". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove
A late 70s gem from Caetano – masterfully understated, and handled in a mature "no tricks" mode, one that he began adopting strongly as he increased his abilities in songwriting and arranging. The tracks are less crazy than on earlier records, but they're also much more well-constructed, with freshly-selected instrumentation, great little hooks, and excellent vocals from Caetano. Titles include "Terra", "Quem Cochicha o Rabo Espicha", "Muito", "Sampa", and "Ca Ja". 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: "Amante Amado" and "Pecado Original". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove
Some of the most beautiful work ever recorded by Caetano Veloso – an album that carries on the style of English language lyrics used on his session in exile in 1971, but which also introduces him back to the world of Brazilian popular music! The album's a great transition for Veloso – a set that's served up with some of the newly personal qualities his music developed in London, but which still has a good ear for experimentation and keeping things interesting. Titles include the wonderful "Nine Out Of Ten" – a haunting tune about his time in exile – plus "Neolithic Man", "Nostalgia", "Triste Bahia", "It's A Long Way", and "You Don't Know Me". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment