Personalidade (1987)

A sampling of the early recordings of Caetano Veloso, who broke into the Brazilian music scene on the wings of Tropicalia, this winning anthology covers a bewildering variety of styles which the soft-spoken firebrand had at his command. There is pure bouncy Brazilian pop ("Beleza Pura"), romantic bossa nova ("Coisa Mais Linda"), a sprouting Hawaiian guitar in the background ("Muito"), a repetitive folk flavor that would pop up again in his career ("O Leaozinho"), light-as-a-feather electro pop ("Podres Poderes"), songs that end up in the air ("Menino do Rio"), and '60s Top 40 rock with a North American accent ("Supercabana"), to name but a few. A really engaging tune which you won't be able to get out of your head is "Soy Loco por Tí, Ameríca," which piles a light samba beat on top of a vintage Motown bassline. (AllMusic)