I guess I can say that I've been "smitten" with this new voice coming out of my CD player recently.
Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova legend João Gilberto and Brazilian singer Miúcha. (In other words, no blood relation to Astrud Gilberto, if that's what you're thinking.) I had heard of her for the past few years, but recently borrowed the Tanto Tempo CD to give it a listen. It sat for awhile but just over the past couple of weeks, I've been playing it quite a bit. If you're familiar with her father's singing on that classic Getz/Gilberto album, she sings in a similar style: she's not a flashy high-register "belter", but instead, sings in a a deeper contralto with measured pitch and phrasings similar to João. It's cool, serpentine and sensuous, and I can almost hear this music accompanying a bubble bath.
I have her debut Tanto Tempo and this year's follow-up, Bebel Gilberto, on order, and can give more impressions later on. For now, though, I can't contain the excitement. Tanto Tempo is like a mixture of early 60's Bossa with subtle electronic beats and rhythms of today. Overwhelmingly Bossa Nova, though, which is a good thing, and she has the talent to make it work. It's a rare recent recording that sticks in my head long after the disc has stopped spinning.
Links to both of her CDs at Amazon:
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova legend João Gilberto and Brazilian singer Miúcha. (In other words, no blood relation to Astrud Gilberto, if that's what you're thinking.) I had heard of her for the past few years, but recently borrowed the Tanto Tempo CD to give it a listen. It sat for awhile but just over the past couple of weeks, I've been playing it quite a bit. If you're familiar with her father's singing on that classic Getz/Gilberto album, she sings in a similar style: she's not a flashy high-register "belter", but instead, sings in a a deeper contralto with measured pitch and phrasings similar to João. It's cool, serpentine and sensuous, and I can almost hear this music accompanying a bubble bath.
I have her debut Tanto Tempo and this year's follow-up, Bebel Gilberto, on order, and can give more impressions later on. For now, though, I can't contain the excitement. Tanto Tempo is like a mixture of early 60's Bossa with subtle electronic beats and rhythms of today. Overwhelmingly Bossa Nova, though, which is a good thing, and she has the talent to make it work. It's a rare recent recording that sticks in my head long after the disc has stopped spinning.
Links to both of her CDs at Amazon:
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto