The term Bossa Nova typically conjures images of serene getaways, sandy beaches and endless tranquility. Additionally, as a genre it is often utilized by both performers and listeners alike as a way to find total peace, essentially used as music’s version of achieving nirvana. Within this framework, Bebel Gilberto continues these familiar associations, while also carving out a niche all her own. Combining her silky Brazilian vocal style with an ever-present samba core, she modestly accentuates this sound with mild dance beats and elements of trance production. Gilberto can hardly be considered a traditional jazz artist, yet her music consistently remains recognizable with Bossa Nova as its foundation. She is Bossa Nova 2.0, an upgrade to the tradition into which she was born.
As the daughter of music icons João Gilberto and Miúcha, Bebel Gilberto grew up quite literally in the heart of the Bossa Nova movement. Gilberto’s Samba da Benção pays homage to her Brazilian heritage, by celebrating stylistic rhythms and melodic nuances in the vein of The Girl from Ipanema. Another of her acclaimed recordings, So Nice (Summer Samba), provides a comparable experience with English lyrics. Both tracks are from her first solo album, Tanto Tempo, which remains her most commercially successful project to date. An extended visit to any music-playing coffee shop or bookstore will likely provide an opportunity to hear either of these tracks in the background, a further testimony to the status that Tanto Tempo maintains as a fixed staple in popular culture.
Gilberto’s latest work, All In One, is a studio album which focuses on true love, largely from her personal perspective. Just as in previous projects, Gilberto’s vocal colorings continue to layer over billowing harmonies and exotic percussion. She successfully creates an evocative and soothing spirit with this project, especially evident in the track Nossa Senhora. To say that her smooth sound is Sade-esque, with a Brazilian flavor, actually pays compliment to both artists. Gilberto is simply refreshing, and maintains a timeless character which sets her apart from most of her contemporaries. Bebel Gilberto is truly an artist who, by the purest definition, has a signature sound.
Comments