Quanta Live

Quanta Live

Brazilian singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil is a thoughtful pop star. He has long been concerned with issues such as cultural cannibalism (in the late '60s, with fellow singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso he founded Tropicalia, an influential artistic and intellectual movement); technology (Parabolic, 1992); and science (Quanta, 1997). Such concerns might seem a tad unwieldy for pop songwriting but Gil has put his ideas across while creating very entertaining, down to earth music, mixing Brazilian rhythms such as sambas, baiaos, and afoxes with funk, reggae, and rock & roll. In <i>Quanta Live</i>, Gil reaches back to some of his old hits (the irresistible "Palco," "Refavela"), revisits a couple of Bob Marley classics ("Is this Love," "Stir It Up"), and works out his most recent songs with casual efficiency. Throughout, his singing is rich in nuance--sometimes lighthearted and at other times sharply pointed--and the playing crisp. Who said singing about meaningful issues can't be fun? <i>--Fernando Gonzalez</i>