Bebel Gilberto [Digipak]

Performer: Bebel Gilberto
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Bebel Gilberto (vocals); Pascal Gabriel (various instruments, programming); Pedro Baby, Masa Shimizu (acoustic guitar); Paul Levi (flute); Carlinhos Brown (harmonica, piano, vibraphone, bongos); Didi Gutman (piano, keyboards, programming); Marius de Vries (piano, bells, programming); Jorge Helder (bass instrument); Magrus Borges (drums); Mauro Refosco (percussion); Alexis Smith (programming). For her second studio album, Bebel Gilberto largely forgoes the electronic tinges of TANTO TIEMPO, in favor of a more straight-ahead bossa nova sound that often evokes the music of her father, the legendary vocalist/guitarist Joao Gilberto. On the breezy opener, "Baby," Gilberto lovingly adopts some of the vocal mannerisms of the song's writer, the renowned Brazilian troubadour Caetano Veloso, while gentle acoustic guitar guides the tune along. The majority of these songs, however, are penned (at least in part) by Gilberto herself. "Simplesmente" casts a dreamy keyboard-laden spell, while "O Caminho" is a melancholy, piano-driven number. Throughout the album, the focus remains on Gilberto's gorgeously smooth voice as she sings in both Portugese and English. BEBEL GILBERTO finds the vocalist easing even more comfortably into her family's musical heritage, and the result is a relaxed, confident set of songs.

Rolling Stone (p.179) - 3 stars out of 5 - "The sublime 'River Song' and 'Baby', an Os Mutantes cover, groove to the spirit of samba, and more down-tempo tracks such as 'Cada Beijo' exude supper-club chill-out." Entertainment Weekly (p.87) - "[A]ll the songs play like a lovely summer breeze." - Grade: A- Q (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]t's probably about as near as most of us will ever get to a sunset stroll along Ipanema. The ideal summer soundtrack." Uncut (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[S]weet and sultry as a languid Copacabana summer afternoon." CMJ (p.5) - "The band's hooks are rounded at the edges and placed in mid-tempo territory, creating something both laid back and quietly innovative." Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[A]nother rich balm for the senses, its spare, sunshine-fortified grooves propelled by intoxicating rhythm tracks..."

As the daughter of Joao Gilberto, one of the chief architects of the bossa nova sound, and the step-daughter of singer Astrud Gilberto, perhaps the genre's most recognizable voice, Bebel Gilberto is at the fore of the second generation of bossa nova talent. While Gilberto's music is firmly rooted in Brazil's proud musical tradition, it is also marked by tasteful electronica and club music flourishes. Her breezy, sophisticated, and critically lauded 2000 debut, TANTO TEMPO, was given the remix treatment by a host of dancefloor heavyweights in 2003.

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