Back in the 1960s, Brazil was home to a musical-cultural movement called Tropicalism, an organic synthesis of local traditions with ideas distilled from Anglo-American rock and the European avant-garde. Paulo Padilha is a contemporary heir to that movement. On his latest album whose title translates as “At the Dollar Store, I Feel Like a Millionaire,” he sings like a samba troubadour backed by samples of ambient sounds; occasional reggae rhythms and rock instrumentation sneak through the sunny Carnival melodies. Except for his sly rewrite of “Summertime,” Padilha sings in Portuguese, yet his playful, sarcastic, urbane sensuality shines through any language barrier.
