Caetano Veloso, Caetano Veloso (1971) (side A)

Caetano Veloso's 1971 self-titled album is confusing for a few reasons.  As it's his third self-titled album, just identifying it in a discography can be difficult (it's sometimes referred to by the title of its opening track, "A Little More Blue"). I usually associate Veloso with his more festive and triumphal tropicalia.  Here, he's found singing sad, delicate songs over sparse arrangements.  Finally, while working in exile, he sang almost entirely in English.  The resulting album is lonely but beautiful—well-executed in a style that is not Veloso's most obvious or natural.  The front cover photo of Veloso does not give many hints of the album's content—the blurry black-and-white back cover in some ways fits the album better.  Its recording from the height of early-70s English studio work flatters the music and performances.