The Brazilian musical style of bossa nova, devised by Jo?o Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, was introduced to the United States in the late 1950s and early '60s through collaborations between Gilberto, Jobim and legendary saxophonist Stan Getz. Bossa nova's enormous popularity set the stage for artists like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Sergio Mendes. Unfortunately, like most other artists, the majority of musicians experience a short period in their lives where they are at their creative peak and everything they touch turns to gold. Then their creative period ends, and the musician seems unable to recapture its spirit. Examples of this phenomenon might include the Clash, the Fab Four (who were at their peak when they were together) or Stevie Wonder.
Similarly, as an artist's creative peak is limited, so is his or her ability to connect with a particular audience. Thus, Mendes, whose "Mais Que Nada" made him a superstar, decreased in popularity here in the 1970s and became a virtual unknown in the states for a long stretch of time. Indeed, his obscurity led to the inclusion of one of his records in one of Kramer's money-making schemes on "Seinfeld."
Despite this obscurity, Mendes has not been idle, creatively or otherwise. In his latest album, Timeless, Mendes collaborates with producer will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas to mix Brazilian bossa nova with American hip-hop and R&B. The results are fruitful. While bossa nova is essentially a style of samba, its relaxed and placid nature makes it unique among samba styles, not to mention among other Latin-American sounds. The flavor of bossa nova is exciting, although at times is seems it could use a jolt to its system. The influx of hip-hop provides this jolt.
Each track in Timeless is a remix of a song previously recorded by Mendes or a cover. Invariably, when listening to an album containing previously recorded material, one is tempted to compare the new version with the original, making it difficult to appreciate the merits of the new version in its own right.
Of course, Mendes' obscurity during the last 25 years makes it unlikely that the listener has heard the original version of the remade song. Unfortunately, the album begins with a new version of the popular "Mais Que Nada," a track that is so ubiquitous that even a person who does not know its name will definitely know its sound. The new version, featuring the Black Eyed Peas, sounds refreshing with the addition of hip-hop beats and will.i.am's rapping. That said, for this song, the original is better than the remake.
will.i.am is featured prominently on the album, and despite being the album's producer, at times seems unable to stay within the framework of the song or ensemble. Such is the case with the second track, "That Heat." The song's best moments are when will.i.am is silent and listeners hear only the background music and guest vocalist Erykah Badu.
The distinctive sound of Stevie Wonder's harmonica graces the third track, "Berimbau/Consolocao," along with Mendes' wife Graciela Leporace singing in Portuguese. As for the album's other tracks, "The Frog" again features will.i.am, but also includes Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest; will.i.am resists the temptation to break out of the song's framework and the effort shows. Jill Scott's soft voice effectively complements "Let Me," while slightly louder and more jumping beats make "Bananeira" and "Surfboard" more dance-worthy than the album's previous tracks. Mendes returns to form with the softer "Please Baby Don't" and the excellent "Samba Da Bencao," which features the Portuguese rapping of Marcelo D2. The title track, "Timeless," features the vocals of India.arie and little else, and its minimalist instrumentation supplies an appropriate palette for the guest singer's voice. The album's finest track, "Loose Ends," is a lament in the vein of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and features the voices of Pharaoh Monche (the Roots), will.i.am and Justin Timberlake.
"Fo' Hop," "Lamento" and "E Menina" have no English lyrics, giving them a more foreign sound. The final track, "Yes, Yes Y'all," has a chilled-out beat, giving will.i.am, J5's Chali2na and the Roots' Black Thought a wide canvas to paint with their lyrics.
Taken as a whole, Timeless is for the most part successful and proves that Sergio Mendes has not been content to merely rest on his laurels. That said, while some of the songs are improved by the addition of hip-hop influences, a good number are not. Only a few songs on the album are suitable for attentive listens; the rest are better suited to serve as background noise.
Rating: 3 out of 5
