[Clive]
As my friends know, I never miss a chance to plug the music of Caetano Veloso, Brazil’s Renaissance Man. Imprisoned by the military regime in the Sixties, he now enjoys god-like status. (His old friend, Gilberto Gil isn’t doing too badly either; he’s the Minister of Culture.) If I could keep only disc from my entire CD collection, it would have to be the tribute to the movies of Fellini. No sign of it on YouTube, alas, but I did just find an ingenious home-made clip which splices the hypnotic bossa nova cover of "Billie Jean" over stage footage of Michael Jackson. A weird yet strangely effective concept. (Why is Veloso so drawn to Jacko? Perhaps because they both have racially ambiguous personas.)
I don’t much like the latest release, called simply "C√™" – it’s too close to rock for my taste – but at least Veloso hasn’t lost his ability to spring surprises.
The Dish 