This 1993 release is an attempt to summarize, up until that year, the entire musical career of Caetano Veloso. Only 14 songs were included, which, of course, is far to few to really cover the extraordinary and varied output of this musical and poetical genius. On the other hand, the limited number of songs makes the collection easy to overview for someone who wants an introduction to the music of Veloso. The selection is quite good, and includes some of Veloso's greatest songs, such as "Terra" and "O Leãozinho" from the '70s, his 1968 psychedelic breakthrough single "Alegria, Alegria," and the dark masterpiece "O Estrangeiro" from 1989. Because the songs are taken from stylistically very different periods of Veloso's career, they sometimes feel somewhat taken out of their context. It is also worth noticing that the versions of "O Índio," "Queixa," "Sampa," and "Você é Linda" featured here are not the original ones, but rather live versions taken from the 1993 album Circuladô Vivo. As a whole, this collection works very well as a brief sampler for the curious listener, but the brilliant music comes out even better on the highly recommended original albums.
© Philip Jandovský /TiVo