Customer Reviews

Fina Estampa

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a collection of Latin American classic pop ballads. (The songs were not composed by Veloso.) It is a beautifully sung and played album. The lyrics are included, for those of us who would like to practice our Spanish. (Veloso is a Brazilian singer, but these songs are sung in Spanish.) The basic tone of the cd is peaceful, reflective, and melancholy. It's definitely not lively dnace music. Other reviewers have commented that these songs are well-worn chestnuts, but I think the average person buying this cd in America or Canada would not know this. Certainly I was not familiar with any of these songs before I purchased this album. For people like me, this is a fine introduction to Latin standards. For people who are familiar with this music, I think Veloso's exquisite performance of the songs also makes this cd well worth buying.

The re-arrangement of a set of 15 classics of south American repertoire, stretched over a period of more than 100 years long (!) of different musical trends and backgrounds, was by itself a titanic goal. Veloso coped with such task in an excellent way, giving sufficient smoothness, unity and consistency to the whole. His thin light voice is probably not the ideal to interpret some of the tunes. Some among the strictest 'aficionados' of the original versions, therefore, will probably feel a bit perplexed when listening to these remakes. Nevertheless Veloso demonstrates in this album to be deeply familiar with the Latin American tradition of last century: can you name any other pop artists who manage to summarise in a single CD, and in such clever way, the feel of a whole continent so musically rich and 'hot'? Veloso's singing and arranging style give to this CD of melodic and folk tunes a musically sophisticated character, as if nothing (including the simplest love song)! could possibly sound banal when he is handling it: sometimes a malicious string arrangement gives new life to a very well known passage ("Un vestido y un amor"); sometimes his straightforward, warm, mellow voice takes the groove of the native 'pueblos' down through space and time where all of us can finally touch it ("Tonada de lluna llena"). The voice-guitar-cello version of Piazzola's "Vuelvo al sur" is an authentic gem, the perfect finale for the ones who feel nostalgia for Veloso's performances just guitar and voice of few years ago.

Cualquier latinoamericano debiera sentirse orgulloso de este disco. Caetano Veloso interpreta canciones típicas del pop y el folclor de América Latina en forma notable, en un castellano bastante bueno para alguien nativo de Brasil. Pocas veces su voz ha sonado tan bella y refinada. Los arreglos, a su vez, son novedosos y enriquecen la música. Es un disco muy del corazón, más para llorar que para reír. La elección de canciones es acertadísima, no tanto por lo representativo del repertorio sino por la calidad del mismo. Versiones como la de "Lamento Borincano", "María Bonita" y "Laguna de Ipacaraí" son simplemente memorables.

Well I was born in Peru and can safely say that I am an aficionado of Latin American folk music. This cd has given me much satsfaction with Caetano's sublime rendering of these timeless classics. His interpretations are unique, masterfully arranged and full of heart and soul.

One of Brazil's best songwriters, Caetano Veloso on this CD plays homage to other Latin American composers, mostly from the distant past and all in Spanish, with great songs from Ernesto Lequona ("Maria La O", Cuba, 1931), Agustin Lara ("Maria Bonita", Mexico, 1941), Chabuca Granda ("Fina Estampa", Peru, 1956), and 12 others, ranging from 1860 with "La Golondrina" to the most recent, Astor Piazzolla's 1988 "Vuelvo Al Sur".

With his high, pure voice, which has a lovely, subtle vibrato, Caetano sings like a smooth caress, in a style that is at once sophisticated and sweet. The musical arrangements are also soft and gentle, and I especially like the ones that include the cello of Jacques Morelenbaum.
Veloso, born in Bahia in 1942, was part of the Bossa Nova craze that hit America in the mid '60s, started by Joao and Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim among others. Still going strong, Veloso won a Latin Grammy in 2003, and was part of the marvelous soundtrack of the 2002 film "Frida".

Full of romance, this is a perfect CD for those candlelit dinners; the only lively number is "Capullito de Aleli", which is delightful, and will make those who remember the cha-cha-cha want to get up and dance. One of my favorites is a song so familiar to me from childhood, "Pecado", that Veloso gives a whole new spin to...it is innovative and beautiful, and another is the fascinating "Tornada de Luna Llena". The booklet insert lists the musicians and includes the lyrics, the sound is excellent, and total playing time is 51'55.

Veloso performs a variety of Latin American standards in his own inimitable way. "Pecado" and "Un vestido y un amor" are particularly noteworthy even if you don't associate particular memories with them as I do. It's an album that is utterly romantic, passionate and one that you will want to listen to over and over again.

As another listener said Mr. Veloso took over heard, used, and often abusedd music and made it sound like music from the Gods. Listen up, relax, and enjoy!

Even being a brazilian Caetano's fan, and used to appreciate his songs in Portuguese, it was a pretty nice surprise to know his wonderful performance in Spanish. As they use to say "one artist is always an artist, no matter the language".

This is a heartfelt tribute by a leading Brazilian singer-songwriter to songwriters of the Spanish New World, and probably the most consistently satisfying album by Caetano I have. Among the highlights are Jaques Morelembaum's beautiful, yet austere and somber, arrangement for "Un vestido y un amor" (I understand Fito Paez was completely bowled over by this rendition), and similarly somber and expressive "Vuelvo al sur" by Piazzolla, with its BACH quotation in the intro and the coda. Caetano's style is probably a mismatch for some of the more lighthearted songs (Rumba azul, Capullito de aleli) but is wonderfully effective in Lamento Borincano and La Gorondrina. And which singer without his wonderful falsetto could sing the two-octave leap in "Maria la O"?

As a lover of good latin and classical music, I think Caetano Veloso has the finesse, talent (and what a talent) to sing in both his native Portugese and in Spanish. His interpretation of these spanish classics was wonderful and refreshing and clear. He is numero uno in my book!