Bebel Gilberto

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Bebel Gilberto

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Every so often - about two or three times a year, really - I buy a CD that is so absolutely near perfection that I always have it with me in my CD wallet so I can listen to it. This is one of those CDs. Frankly, this is the best CD that I have bought so far this year.

I first ran across Bebel Gilberto a few years ago after her Tanto Tempo CD. That CD was a mix of bossa nova and electronica a la Suba's Sao Paolo Confessions, due no doubt to his hand in the production of that CD. I was expecting more of the same with this CD - by no means a bad thing! - and really looked forward to buying it when it was released.

This CD, however, is not Tanto Tempo II. Rather, it has a very organic feel with acoustic guitars, strings and woodwinds; there are elements of electronica in the mix, but they are pushed considerably far into the background. Furthermore, Gilberto's vocals, which are really just...perfect, are far more front-and-center on this album.

The result is downright intoxicating. Every note is so perfectly placed, every rhythm so perfectly played and every vocal track so perfectly laid that it is impossible to find a flaw. Twelve tracks simply aren't enough for this listener; I love to play this CD over and over again for hours on end.

In the end, it is like a simple thing that adds so much. There is charm in this music; there is charm in Gilberto's voice. The album takes apart all of your defenses and leaves you open in the most wonderful way; it makes you smile while listening to it because it makes you feel that good.

If this is indicative of Gilberto's talent, world music - truly world music, not bad global dance concoctions! - has a bright, beautifully shining star in its orbit. Buy the album, get a little intoxicated on it and remember that simple things can be the most enjoyable.

If "Tanto Tempo" arrived like a cool, summer breeze, Bebel Gilberto's current CD arrives more like an uncomfortably humid summer day. This is a recording with a lot of problems not evident in her debut:

1) Many of the songs are overproduced, with strings being added to several numbers. True, the wall of sound approach has its seductive moments, especially in "Aganju" and "Simplesmente", but too often what was spare, light, fresh, and understated in the earlier work gives way to a kind of sonic sludge.

2) As well, Gilberto's choice of songs to cover leaves a lot to be desired this time around. "Baby", a sappy, throwaway Caetano Veloso pop song that only Gal Costa seems able to sing effectively, gets the album off to a less than positive start, and "Every Day You've Been Away" by Pedro Baby and Daniel Jobim marks the low point with the most vapid English language lyrics imaginable (a problem throughout). Thank goodness for the Carlinhos Brown number and collaborations.

3) Too many of the songs have the same basic medium tempo that when combined with the aural wallpaper background treatment creates a kind of monotonous sameness to much of the material. Perhaps after listening to the CD several more times, the songs will take on distinct personalities, but that is a more hopeful thought than a realistic one.

4) Too many breathy vocals make some of the numbers sound like they are an homage to Astrud Gilberto and her kittenish delivery, an approach Bebel Gilberto should never dream of resorting to.

In short, while this recording is not without some lovely moments, it nonetheless suffers from a pattern of odd choices and poor judgements. Hopefully, it merely represents a slight bump in the road for a very talented singer.