One of the leading lights of the current MPB scene, Zeca Baleiro owes a spiritual debt to first-generation Tropicália stars like Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa (in fact, the latter gave Baleiro a leg up early on by inviting him onto her MTV special). But he's taken the inspiration of those earlier innovators and put his own spin on it. Even a casual stroll through Baleiro's catalog is liable to turn up touches of everything from modified samba rhythms and gentle acoustic ballads to simmering funk grooves.