Caetano Veloso [1969]

Recorded in the scant weeks between his release from prison and his exile to England for the next four years, Veloso sketched out this album with just his voice and guitar. The tapes were then handed over to producer Rogério Duprat, who then worked his magic. While freed from prison, the trauma of incarceration still very much shadows Veloso, especially on the forlorn “The Empty Boat.” However, each song here shows another side of Veloso: drunken Carnival drums, subdued bossa nova, maudlin traces of tango and fado, and flares of psychedelic rock. It’s the sound of a man defying all restraints and rising above.