Many but not all of the songs are the same. It seems to have been created out of the desire to correct a mistake or two on the non-live album. Some songs I like better on this album, some on Fina Estampa. The best song IS Fina Estampa, written by the formidable peruvian songwriter Chabuca Granda. But his version of Cucurrucucu Paloma is the most haunting and engaging of the 50 versions I have heard. I even love the songs in Portugues though I don't understand the lyrics. This album was a present from some people I visited in Belo Horizonte and is one of my all-time favorites.

I think maybe I'm biased towards the AO VIVO version of Fina Estampa because I saw this show in Sao Paulo and it did nothing less than produce an out-of-body experience in me--my soul was completely enthralled! (There's a video out of this CD if you too would like to experience the show) I've played this CD for my family and relatives and they all absolutely love it--they're Mexican and they don't feel at all offended by Caetano's renditions of these traditional songs. I mean really, many of these songs have been recorded over and over by artists throughout Latin America. What's different about Caetano's rendition of these songs is the soulful touch he adds to all his music!

Caetano delivers another stirring live performance recording, this time of fine spanish langauge favorites from the Fina Estampa studio album. My favorites are cucurrucucu paloma, also recently featured in Almodovar's Talk To Her and haiti. As always his musical selection is stellar and his voice in this recording is sweet and strong. This is a fine introduction for new comers to Caetano Veloso.