The Bottom Line
Pros
- Juanes skimming the scales on "Y Vamos Ya"
- Gracinha Leporace's haunting "Catavento"
Cons
- Spotty - some great tracks, some a little blah
Description
- 12 tracks of Brazilian rhythms some hip hop fusion
- Featuring will.i.am,Carlinhos Brown,Natalie Cole, Juanes and more
- Released June 2008 by Concord Records
Guide Review - Review : Sergio Mendes - Encanto
Sergio Mendes made a big comeback to the international music scene with 2006's Timeless. In partnership with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Mendes rejeuvenated his signature bossa nova sound by the addition and fusion of hip hop elements and by including a large group of guest artists.
Following the successful formula he started with Timeless, Mendes again teams up with will.i.am, Brazilian rhythms and a star-studded list of international guest artists including (among others) the incomporable Carlinhos Brown and Vanessa da Mata from Brazil, Italian rapper Jovanatti, Herb Alpert, Natalie Cole, Fergie and Colombian superstar Juanes.
Among the stronger tracks are "The Look of Love" with Fergie, "Somewhere in the Hills" with Natalie Cole and the hip hip version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Agua de Beber" with will.i.am. But the tracks that grabbed me were Gracinha Leporace singing the desafinado-style "Catavento" and "Y Vamos Ya", which not only turns into a distinctively Juanes song, but also gives the singer a chance to demonstrate major vocal chops via Brazilian music's often complex melodic acrobatics.
There's less fusion and innovation on this album and a lot more of the cool, loungy bossa nova that one associates with Mendes. As a result, the CD is pleasant enough but not as compelling as his previous collaboration with will.i.am. A nice album for bossa nova lovers but not quite the standout that it might have been.
