Amazon.co.uk Review
The fact that it's taken around four years for
Bebel Gilberto by Bebel Gilberto to appear gives you some idea how thoroughly its predecessor
Tanto Tempo has been milked and marketed. Though it's the work of three different producers in as many locations, Bebel Gilberto doesn't stray far from the formula established on that record by the late
Suba. There's less of his trademark quirky electronica and a bit more singing in English. What's surprising is how little of it seems tailored for remixes, with slow bossa crooners dominating what is essentially a satin-smooth late-night listen. Only "River Song", with its trilling flute, vibes and busy brush drums really ventures into mid-tempo territory--unless you count the suave seductive glide of "Cada Beijo". Other highlights include opening track "Simplesmente", which features the wonderfully hypnotic use of a ticking clock, the pulsing "Aganjú", and the cover of "Baby", a nice piece of updated tropicalismo, originally sung by
Rita Lee of
Os Mutantes. On the down side, singer/songwriterly ballads such as "Every Day You've Been Away" and "Next To You" seem like a waste of Gilberto's talents. This is an accomplished if relatively unadventurous album that neither disappoints nor rocks any boats.
--Jon Lusk
CD Description
Second album from Brazil's biggest selling artist, an acclaimed jazz singer who blends the rhythms of bossa nova with modern production techniques and electronic flourishes. Produced by electronica whizkid Marius de Vries (Bjork, U2, Madonna), this warm, summery album refines the louche, languid coffee-table sound which made her 2000 debut 'Tanto Tempo' a massive worldwide smash.