Caetano Veloso's new record Se

It's decent, a few good tracks, a few misfires. I like the opener, minhas lagrimas, odeio. Tries to rock a bit too much, which isn't a great look for Caetano. I like his voice though, little more fragile with age but that works in its favour at times.

a few comments here (and some on Caetano in general)

Anybody catch his short US tour?? fucking insanely good. I've seen all three of his US tours and this was by far the strangest. The first two times I saw him (1999 and 2002) he came out with full-on slick bands, native Brazilian percussionists, backup singers, etc. the works. Great shows, mind you, but definitely on the "pro" side of the presentation spectrum. CV dressed in a suit, etc.

This time, he comes out in a jean-jacket and ripped jeans, rocking the fat shoelaces, with a three piece band of 20-somethings. And they rocked! super cool neo-psych sound (some of the backing actually reminded me of like Galaxie 500 or some other classic indie psych band). He did "London London" and "Nine out of Ten" .. otherwise I confess I didn't catch a lot of the songs, but it seemed heavily weighted toward Cê, which I still haven't heard. I guess this touring band is also the band that plays on Cê? Man, I really need to pick that up.

Damn. Somehow I alway miss him ( I stayed home and helped my kid with his homework). I had seen mixed reviews of Ce but have have never heard it either.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007; Washington Post Page C04

Most aging musicians are content being revered by younger generations. Caetano Veloso prefers to play alongside them. That felt obvious during a lively two-hour set at Lisner Auditorium Sunday as the Brazilian pop laureate raced through cuts from his new album, "C¿" -- an uncharacteristically twitchy batch of songs that resemble both the sobriety of contemporary American indie rock and the restlessness of no-wave.

To rapturous applause, the 65-year-old trotted onto a stage decked out with flashing lights, a fog machine and four colored poles that hung above his backing band like a Calder mobile with the petals plucked off. He launched into "Outro," a song prickling with spiky guitar runs, tick-tocking drums and bass lines that prefer to fidget rather than groove. The quirkiness felt perfectly in tune with Veloso's roots in tropicalia -- the movement he founded in the face of Brazil's military dictatorship in the late '60s. (For the full story, check out Veloso's autobiography, "Tropical Truth" -- quite possibly the best memoir ever penned by a musician.) And even when Veloso's arrangements got nervy, they never got on your nerves, thanks to a sweet, generous voice residing at the heart of every song.

It was on full display during the devastatingly beautiful "Cucurrucucu Paloma," an older tune where his breathy syllables evoked a tea kettle the moment before it begins to whistle. That enchanting, pregnant energy permeated the entire performance, including the spindly new tune "Odeio." The singer was so enamored of this one that he reprised it for the encore, encouraging elated fans to sing along with a refrain that translates as "I hate you." Veloso said earlier in the set that he loved hearing a room sing it back to him.

-- Chris Richards

so sad i couldn't see him on this tour!!

cê is amazing by the way. someone should fix the title of thread

soooo sad. i tried to buy tickets for last night's show, but i could only find really expensive ones or ones behind the stage. totally bummed.

Plenty more Caetano debate here: Caetano Veloso S and D