Gilberto Gil
Expresso 2222
Album · Brazilian · 1972 · Gege
Recorded after a two-year political exile in London, this 1972 set saw a recharged and reenergized Gilberto Gil abandon the experimental excesses of Tropicália for a more straight-ahead pop sound. There are still some Beatlesesque rockers, including the coy “Back in Bahia” and the Gal Costa-voiced “Sai do Sereno.” But Gil mostly carves out a new space for authentic Brazilian sounds, as on the breezy samba “Chiclete Com Banana” and the swinging chorro of the title track.

