Caetano Veloso

A true heavyweight, Caetano Veloso is a pop musician, poet, filmmaker, author, activist, and statesman. Since the 1960s, he has been a cultural shapeshifter whose songs and recordings are filled with musical and literary invention, a deliberate androgyny, and an effortless genre meld of samba, MPB, tropicalia, rock, funk, jazz, and more. His early trilogy of self-titled albums (1968-1971) were provocative and popular, while 1972's Transa, 1979's Cinema Transcendental, and 1989's Estrangeiro underscored his stylistic diversity. Veloso's 21st century recordings -- including 2000's Noites do Norte, 2006's Cê, and 2012's Abraçaço -- open wide the door for future samba and MPB revelations, and are mercurial but accessible. His stature in the pantheon of international pop musicians whose peers include Bob Marley, James Brown, and Lennon/McCartney.