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A great step forward for the legendary Tim Maia – working here in a style that's even tighter and more sophisticated than before – yet still equally filled with funk and soul! The arrangements are a bit bigger than before, and the production a bit more professional – but that change only brings Tim into even more heavenly soul territory – with a mix of grooves and strings that lays somewhere between the best early 70s work on labels like Curtom or Motown! Tim's got a new sense of majesty on the album – and also sings in English in a few spots – at a level that makes us wonder why he was never able to crack the American soul market at the time. An essential record from the man who brought American soul music to Brazil – with tracks that include "Over Again", "New Love", "O Balanco", "Reu Confesso", "Preciso Ser Amado", "Amores", and "Do Your Thing Behave Yourself". CD

A nicely understated 80s set from Milton Nascimento – a record that still has that heavenly, soaring sensibility in his vocals – but which maybe also has some of the intimacy you might expect from the cover's image of Milton walking alone in a forest! There's some jazzy currents in the music, but just a bit – and the set does include contributions from Pat Metheny and Hubert Laws – but the vibe is very much Nascimento's own, on titles that include "Lagrima Do Sul", "Raca", "Quem Perguntou Por Mim", "A Primeira Estrela", "Encontros E Despedidas", "Mar Do Nosso Amor", and "Vidro E Corte". CD

The second set of madness from the legendary Os Mutantes – and like the first, an album done in close collaboration with arranger/producer Rogerio Duprat, whose talents add a new level of genius to the record! The album's got a compelling mix of styles that strikes out on the very first tune – a playful pastiche that's partly postmodern, partly psychedelic, and still tremendously powerful decades later – even if you can't understand most of the lyrics! Styles are just about impossible to pin down, but that's what makes the record so unique and essential – and if you ever needed one album to convince you of the mindblowing energy taking place during the Tropicalia years, this one may well be it! A few tracks are written by Tom Ze, and titles include "Dom Quixote", "Dia 36", "Magica", "Rita Lee", "Algo Mais", "Qualquer Bobagem", and "Fuga No II". CD

A beautifully spare album from Caetano Veloso – one of his greatest albums of the 80s, and quite unlike anything else he did in the decade! The sound here is almost a bit like Joao Gilberto's classic 1973 album for Polydor – mostly just acoustic guitar and vocals, recorded with a slight echo and a really warm feel overall – a quality that offers up a whole new side of Veloso's genius, with only a bit of added percussion on a few tracks. Caetano's vocals are wonderful – personal, intimate, and very rich, despite the quite setting – and titles include "Get Out Of Town", "Terra", "Nega Lauca/Billie Jean/Eleanor Rigby", "Luz Do Sol', "Trilhos Urbanhos", "Odara", and "Saudosismo". CD