Caetano Veloso's tour through California in support of his album Cê began earlier this week in Pasadena, and Variety magazine reports that the singer "sounded effortlessly contemporary. Even more impressively, he did it without compromise." For Variety writer Steven Mirkin, the rocking stage show brings comparisons to Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and the Strokes.
Caetano Veloso's tour through California in support of his album Cê began earlier this week in Pasadena, and Variety magazine reports that the 65-years-old singer "sounded effortlessly contemporary. Even more impressively, he did it without compromise." For Variety writer Steven Mirkin, the rocking stage show brings comparisons to Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and the Strokes:
But the music remains fully Veloso's. His sweet, expressive voice keeps the songs buoyant; there's never a sense of despair. He fuses the youthful sound with a poetic mature sensibility ... His longtime fans are already acquainted with his mental acuity (he's one of the few performers who make you feel smarter just listening to him) and the suppleness of his voice ... He may be old enough to retire, but right now, Veloso can match any indie rocker in energy and verve.
Caetano brings that energy further north this weekend, with a concert in Santa Cruz tonight and one at the San Francisco Jazz Festival tomorrow. In preparation for the area events, the Monterey County Herald looks back to Caetano's 2004 performance at SF Jazz, which "had all the trappings of a rock concert, with devoted fans rushing the stage near the end and showering the superstar with their adoration." And Caetano returned that fervor with the superstar performance they had come to see: "The charismatic personality of the lithe and handsome artist was in full force. He moves with grace and artistic purpose and his voice has an expressiveness that can bring a listener to emotional release."
For information on upcoming tour dates, click here.
