Brazilian multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil [ tickets ] is backing his latest album, "Gil Luminoso," with a round of US tour dates this month.

The 64-year-old Gil, who currently serves as Brazil's Minister of Culture despite an often-contentious relationship with his own country's government over the years, will kick off his stint in the United States tonight (3/16) in Ann Arbor, MI. His itinerary is included below.

Gil, who spoke Thursday (3/15) at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX, spent time in prison in the late '60s, along with fellow performer and longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso, both of whom were considered "subversive influences" by the Brazilian government. Both were eventually exiled to England, where Gil recorded several albums in the early '70s before returning to his homeland.

One of those albums, a self-titled 1971 effort, has been released domestically for the first time by the San Francisco-based Water label.

"Gil Luminoso," Gil's most recent studio effort, was released in the US Thursday (3/15).