Caetano Veloso Albums (48)
What The Critics Say
After over three decades of building a body of work that stands as one of the most mesmerizing and groundbreaking in any musical language of the past 50 years, Caetano Veloso seems to have hit a hitherto unimaginable creative slump in the early 21st century. His controversial 2006 album, Cê, was a deliberate attempt on Veloso's part to rejuvenate himself with a full immersion in electronic noise. Regardless of its largely disappointing results, it is clear that Veloso conceived the album as a new turning point, and that its 2009 successor, Zii e Zie, was intended as a logical continuation, both in the sound and in the central role of sex in many of his lyrics. Essential to Veloso's new minimalist approach is the reduction to a four-piece electric band, consisting of guitarist Pedro Sá, bassist Ricardo Dias Gomes, and drummer Marcelo Callado, plus Veloso on vocals and guitars. The three musicians that form BandaCê, as the band was put together for the Cê tour, all belong to a much younger generation than Veloso's, and come from the Brazilian rock scene, rather than MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira). The music of Zii e Zie was developed with the band -- demos and ideas were also posted online on Veloso's official site as "work in progress," for colleagues, friends, and fans to discuss and make suggestions. In fact, the entire creative process behind this album is dissected by Veloso on his site in a way that is unprecedented for any of his records. Allegedly, the main concept was the creation of "transambas": transforming the spirit of samba through an ascetic, acerbic, and electric sound, better fitted for the harsh urban realities of a Brazil trying to balance a soaring economy with ever-increasing social inequality and violence. This Veloso set to accomplish with a remake of two classic sambas by Serafim Adriano, as well as in a series of compositions dealing with the city of Rio de Janeiro. Most of all, he accomplishes this in the elemental rhythmic motif that opens the album, and in fact dominates throughout via a samba pattern laid out obsessively by an electric guitar. The results are primitive but hypnotic; certainly Zii e Zie cannot be faulted for lack of consistency. Still, while most of the debate over Veloso's new music inevitably centers around his rediscovery of electronic sounds, it should not cloud the main issue: it is not the sound, but the songs that are lacking here. Veloso has always been first and foremost an exceptional songwriter. This has allowed him to experiment in any direction he chooses and, improbably, make it all work -- simply because a great song always waited at the bottom of it all. Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be the case. While Zii e Zie is an utterly compelling listen, one that has to be regarded as a definitive improvement upon Cê, yet there are really few individual songs here that match Veloso's (granted, insanely high) standards. This becomes particularly evident in tracks that reference earlier songs, such as "Guantanamo" and "Menina da Ria." Even if the latter is actually one of the album's most beautiful moments, these songs still pale in comparison to the masterpieces they are ostensibly revisiting (1994's "Haiti" and 1979's "Menino do Rio," respectively). Time will tell what place this electric phase will ultimately take in Caetano Veloso's long and fabulous discography. Zii e Zie certainly deserves to be heard, even if only because it would be most unwise to pass judgment too quickly on such a proven visionary. ~ Mariano Prunes, All Music Guide
'Muito Mais'
Release Date 1/10/2006
Tracks 20
Label Universal International
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What The Critics Say
During his long career, spanning five decades, Caetano Veloso has managed to sustain a remarkable consistency, year after year composing beautiful, inventive, and very often simply ingenious music. His previous album, A Foreign Sound, where Caetano interpreted classics from the American popular music scene, was widely applauded abroad and especially in the U.S., but Brazilian listeners were much less impressed. And truth be told, by Caetano's own high standards and with the exception of a few songs, like the reggae-rap version of Bob Dylan's "It's Alright Ma," A Foreign Sound lacked much of Caetano's usual inspiration. Cê, though much lighter and unpretentious, suffers from the same lack of lucid inspiration that has always been the trademark of Caetano. It is not in anyway a bad album, but after having been spoiled with Caetano's unique brand of musical magic and brilliance for so long, Cê just doesn't excite. For the recording, Caetano teamed up with a trio of young musicians, thus forming a traditional rock band relying on an electric guitar, a bass, drums, and the occasional keyboards. The sound is finely tuned and further helped by the excellent production by Caetano's son Moreno and Pedro Sá. The music ranges from the light, carefree punk-pop of tracks like "Outro" and "Odeio" to the laid-back, sentimental "Não Me Arrependo" and "Minhas Lágrimas." "Musa Híbrida" is an interesting mix of samba and rock, with a touch of '70s funk. On "Não Me Arrependo," Caetano uses influence from both Lou Reed and Peninha, and it is perhaps the most melodically impressive song on the album. On "O Herói," Caetano, in a talking voice, recites the lyrics over a sparse and slightly hip-hop-inspired rock groove. The gentle and sweet "Um Sonho" is another highlight. Cê is an enjoyable, finely crafted, and elegantly executed album, but at the same time very far from Caetano's best. ~ Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When an international artist records an English-language album, crossover is usually in the cards. For Caetano Veloso, however, it's an entirely different matter. The statesman of Brazilian pop, a musical giant who is on track to record more in his fifth decade of artistic striving than in any other (not to mention his accompanying exploits in literature), Veloso has no need to begin an American campaign. He also has shown no wish to. Caetano Veloso has never courted an American audience, though he has drawn a sizeable one because of his prescient, emotionally charged songwriting and a performance style that can be studied or unhinged depending on the circumstances required. A Foreign Sound is not only an English-language album but an American songbook, one that explores Veloso's long fascination with the greatest composers in American history. It began when he was a child in the '40s and '50s enamored of American culture, was strengthened when his hero João Gilberto began championing the great American songbook, and has remained steady if not continuous through his artistic career. (After all, one of his most loved performances is his version of Gilberto Gil's "Soy Loco por Ti, América"). The record is perhaps his most ambitious project ever, a 22-song album that ranges for its material from emperors of Broadway to the denizens of folk music, from the cultured (Rodgers & Hart's "Manhattan") to the torchy (Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") to the gritty (Nirvana's "Come as You Are"). Veloso's high tenor has only strengthened 30 years after his other English-language record -- an eponymous 1971 LP, recorded in London as a forlorn postcard to the country he had been forcibly removed from by Brazil's fascist-leaning government. Although few recordings in his discography (or any other's) can rival that one's emotional power, A Foreign Sound comes very close. Veloso transforms these standards by a clever combination of his subtle interpretive gifts, his precise, literate delivery, and his ability to frame each song with an arrangement that fits perfectly (usually either a small group led by his acoustic guitar or a small string group, though "Love for Sale" is given a spine-tingling a cappella treatment). Out of 22 songs, only Bob Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" sounds like a mistake; every other performance here is nearly irresistible, the perfect valentine to a country with a strong songwriting tradition that Veloso unites and celebrates with this album. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Caetano Veloso has released his share of live albums over the years, but he still manages to make each one a delight, which is no mean feat. Live in Bahia takes him home to the region where he grew up, and where the audience is his from the first note. Put out to coincide with the publication of his book, Tropical Truth, he's not afraid to delve through songs old and new, and although his fans would lap up anything -- they're certainly happy to sing along -- he keeps them (and himself) on their toes by offering interesting rearrangements and not being afraid to experiment, like the slight rap on "Haiti" or the spiky, electric "Rock'n'Raul," which has echoes of Nirvana. Longtime arranger and co-producer Jacques Morelenbaum deserves much credit for the album's varied sound. At sixty, Veloso's voice isn't quite the supple instrument it was, but it can still wrap itself lovingly around notes and phrases, and his qualities as a writer are in evidence throughout. His take on the classic "Samba de Verão" is playful, inserting unexpected breaks, and he turns "Trem de Cores" into a singalong. Most interesting, perhaps, is "Tropicália" -- the movement might be 35 years old, but in this version, Veloso can still make the song shock. He remains an artist of the first order. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
'Eu Não Peço Desculpa'
Release Date 9/24/2002
Tracks 14
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
This record is a collaboration between Caetano Veloso and Jorge Mautner, a comparatively unknown poet and songwriter, whose work Veloso has admired since the '70s. Eu Não Peço Desculpa has a much more spontaneous air to it than Veloso's two previous albums, Noites do Norte and Livro, with their thematic ambitions. The sound is simple and free from any superfluous frills. The production brings a delicate electronic sound to the album, which also contributes to it sounding quite different from Veloso's recordings during the preceding ten years or so. Compared to the more serious tone on Livro and Noites do Norte, the lyrics on "Eu Não Peço Desculpa" are quite playful and happy, often spiced with ambiguities and ironies, though there are also songs (as for example "Assim Se Morre") touching such serious and sad topics as death and violence. The smooth, elegant "Tarado," with its deliciously funny and colorful lyrics is a highlight of the album. Musically Veloso and Mautner jump between very different styles, shifting from the light pop of the opening track, "Todo Errado," to the electronics of "Manjar de Reis" and a new interpretation of Veloso's beautiful and Nordeste-inspired "Cajuína." The album also contains a fine version of the percussion-driven "Maracatu Atômico," one of Jorge Mautner's most famous songs (previously recorded by artists like Gilberto Gil and Nação Zumbi). Veloso and Mautner sound very inspired throughout this album, and Eu Não Peço Desculpa is Veloso's most fresh-sounding studio album since the 1991 recording Circuladô. ~ Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Veloso continues to show his pre-eminence as a singer and songwriter with Noites Do Norte. He may be almost 60, but he's far from set in his ways, still chipping away at lyrical and musical boundaries. But where he looked outward many years ago, getting inspiration from the rock music of Britain and America, these days he looks inside, at Brazil, making songs like his version of Jorge Ben's "Zumbi" a cinematic journey across Brazil. The title track delves back into history, its words taken directly from the writing of 19th century abolitionist Joaquim Nabuco. Inevitably, samba and bossa nova remain the musical touchstones, but they're also the jumping-off point for experimentation, such as the hip-hop drumming (up front in the mix) on the opener, "Zera a Reza," or "13 De Maio," where son Moreno Veloso offers his own idiosyncratic approach to the playing and engineering. "Ia" uses electric guitar and drums to make a swirling soundscape that's almost modern psychedelia behind Veloso's instantly recognizable voice. Never content to tread ground he's already covered, Veloso continues to go off the map. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Throughout his long career, Caetano Veloso has recorded songs of innumerable moods and styles -- ranging from psychedelic rock and smooth rap to upbeat samba and melancholic Brazilian folk music. This CD, however, is filled exclusively with bossa nova tunes that Veloso performed between 1969 and 1999. For any lover of bossa nova or classic Brazilian popular music, this CD is a real treat, with Veloso interpreting beautiful songs by great Brazilian composers such as Tom Jobim, Marcos Valle, Chico Buarque, Ary Barroso, and Fernando Lobo. There is also a very interesting interpretation of Michael Jackson's famous hit "Billy Jean," transformed by Veloso into a lovely bossa nova. This CD showcases Veloso's supreme talent as an interpreter, more than as a composer, as only two of the tracks are his own compositions -- the beautiful "Lindeza" and "Desde que o Samba É Samba" (which is a duet with Gilberto Gil). ~ Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide
