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Recent Reviews
Gilberto GilGal Costa Personalidade Polygram, 1987
Polygram, 1993


Personalidade is an airy collection of Gil's early work, much of it performed with just acoustic guitar, flute or horns, and percussion. Cool jazz meets African roots in "Oriente,'' "Preciso Aprender a Só Ser,'' and "Maracatu Atomico.'' Gil's affinity for bluesy rock & roll à la Canned Heat shines in "Back in Bahia.'' And among the collection's sambas is an early version of Gil's classic "Aquele Abraco'' ("I Embrace You All''), which he wrote upon leaving Brazil to go into exile, unsure whether he would ever return.
Contributed by Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix