This live recording captures
Caetano Veloso during the New York leg of his
Circuladô tour in 1992. Naturally, several of the tracks here are from
Veloso's strong 1991 release,
Circuladô. But the two main highlights of this CD are the absolutely stunning version of
Bob Dylan's "Jokerman" and the equally superb version of
Djavan's romantic hit "Oceano." On the latter,
Veloso is backed solely by his own acoustic guitar, and the result is nothing else than sheer musical perfection and beauty. These two tracks alone make the album more than worthwhile, but there is a lot more to it -- for example the beautiful "Queixa," which gains a completely new and dramatic string introduction.
Veloso also sings the pretty "Debaixo Dos Caracóis Dos Seus Cabelos," written by
Erasmo Carlos and
Roberto Carlos for
Veloso during his exile in London, and "Mano a Mano," a nice tango by Argentine superstar
Carlos Gardel. "Um Índio" gains a more robust and direct musical frame, and many people find this version even better than the classic album recording from 1977. "O Leãozinho," from the same 1977 album, does not come off very well, but without a doubt the real low point of this CD is the horrible electric guitar solo that concludes an otherwise nice "A Filha da Chiquita Bacana." Why
Veloso permitted his guitarist to solo in this way is something of a mystery, but this misstep is also a very small detail toward the end of an otherwise very fine live album. ~ Philip Jandovský