Duetos

As the title of this compilation suggests, it’s a collection of songs in which Gilberto Gil shares the stage with other artists. Some of the tracks are well-known, other more obscure. Gil at his best is a brilliant songwriter and singer, which is of course apparent on this album. Most of the 14 tracks here were not written by Gil, and the only thing every song has in common is the presence of Gil’s voice. In several cases here the tracks are more representative of Gil’s various duet partners’ music than with Gil’s own, even though several tracks, such as Nação Zumbi’s “Macô,” Cazuza’s “Um Trem Para as Estrelas,” and Riachão’s “Cada Macaco No Seu Galho,” are fantastic pieces of music in themselves. – Philip Jandovský