Even Caetano Veloso bows before Dorival, who spent his career answering a question posed in an early hit: “What is it about Bahian women?” Equal parts Bing Crosby crooner and stark acoustic balladeer, he applied smooth baritone to everything, whether it be a sentimental popular tune or a fisherman's chant. Defiantly down to earth, Dorival's music rarely strayed from the white sands and swimsuited beauties of his Bahian home. Yet his genius was universal, uniting the easy-listening Andy Williams and Tropicália young turks, both of whom dipped into his songbook for hits of their own.