TIMELESS reviews

[TulitaPepsi]

4 and 1/2 stars (out of 5).

WOW. Absolute rave for everything on it, exceptions being only "The Frog" (awww, one of my faves!) and "Let Me" (OK, I agree with the reviewer on this one).

"Now, Mendes is sure to bumrush the charts one more time with this jaw-dropping set produced by the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am who, while thoroughly understanding how to walk the thin line between art and pop, is the perfect person for the job. Rap, R&B, jazz and contemporary pop merge seamlessly with Sergio's international sensibilities for scintillating tracks that will not be denied. Pristine production shines on every track - even the ones that are pure bossa nova....Tracks with the most radio promise are the title track featuring India.Arie and the socially aware transatlantic-hit-in-the-making "Loose Ends" featuring a soulful Justin Timberlake, along with Pharoahe Monch and Will.I.Am....There is no way you can come away from this album feeling down, the sunshine of Brazilian music blends with the grimey earthiness of true hip-hop, pop and jazz to create an unforgettable experience. Cop."

http://www.hiphoprnbsoul.com/web/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=892

 

[TulitaPepsi]

E! gives it a C+

Our Review:
Call it the Santana Syndrome. Ever since the Latin guitar hero staged that stratospheric comeback with 1999's Supernatural, nearly every music vet with an AARP card has tried to repeat the feat by teaming up with a cadre of current pop stars. Sometimes it works; more often it doesn't. Add Sergio Mendes' name to the latter category. Immaculately cool back in his '60s prime, the Brazilian musician of "Mas Que Nada" fame teams up with producer Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and vocalists such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Q-Tip to update his vintage material. It's a well-produced disc, but the cavalcade of stars and cartoonish beats makes the songs sound more dated than the originals.

http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,3644,00.html

 

[TulitaPepsi]

HipHopReviews give it a rave - but they also note that it might not be "hard" enough for the old-skool rap fans. Fine by me!

Artist: Sergio Mendes
Title: Timeless
Rating:
Reviewed by: Mark Cilantro
(3 1/2 stars out of 4)

Remember when Eazy E tried to cash in on the De La Soul craze, post Feet High and Rising? That was when Ruthless Records signed The Atban Klann. A Black cat with dreads, a Filipino dude, and a Pacific Islander; former dancers with a Boho fashion sense and Clinton era positivity. That group got dropped and resurfaced as the Black Eye Peas. Fast forward 10 years and The Atban Klann has sold more records than NWA, added a woman whose lady lumps are not as remarkable as she thinks, got in bed with more corporate licensors than Moby and re-established PG-13 Hip-Hop.

A lot of people hate on BEP while neglecting their business acumen and willingness to have fun and not be so damn morose all the time. This month they give another reason to like them. Will.I.Am's collaboration with the legendary Sergio Mendes, Timeless (Concord Records/Hear Music).

Many of the Hip-Hop generation know Sergio, but don't know him. His band Brasil '66 has created some of the most beautiful soundscapes of the 20th century. Classic artists from A Tribe Called Quest to new school torchbearers like J-Live have created hits from sampling Sergio's compositions. In a creative magnanimous move Will.I.am has reached out to Sergio to connect the dots. The result is a somewhat poppy record on the surface whose foundation links the best in neo-soul and post Native Tongue Hip-Hop to classic bossa nova.

Timeless oscillates between Will's remakes and remixes of classic Sergio to new compositions featuring an all star guest lineup. Erykah Badu, Pharoahe Monche, John Legend, Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, Black Thought, and The Abstract Poet Incognito all make quality guest appearances. Will and Sergio do an excellent job pulling a classic Tribe sound out of Q-Tip on the funky fresh “The Frog.” “Surfboard” an odd choice for the Tonight Show appearance disappoints while the remake of the classics “Berimbau” and “Mas Que Nada” make you wanna break out the dance shoes. The India.Arie (“Timeless”) and Jill Scott (“Tell Me”) joints could have easily been on the lady’s respective sophomore albums. The star of the album may be “Yes, Yes, Y’all” a remake of the classic 1968 Sergio jam, that joins Black Thought and the almost forgotten Chali 2na.

It’s likely the involvement of Will will cause an unfair backlash in the hard line Hip-Hop community. It will be a shame because there is a quality album here. And as Sergio himself says, “It turned into a wonderful marriage of rhythms because it’s all African rhythms and haunting melodies. It’s all about the same beats that we inherited from Africa. It’s that same common denominator that brought the samba to Brazil and brought jazz to America. Hip-Hop is urban to America, but samba and bossa nova are urban to Brazil.”

http://www.allhiphop.com/reviews/?ID=770

 

[TulitaPepsi]

Did a quick search to see if BILLBOARD has reviewed it yet (they haven't, at least I could not find it online). But a quick search tells me that there have been SIXTY THREE albums called "Timless" released in the past few years - from Bobby Vinton, Eddie Palmieri, Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Gerry Mulligan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, The Iseley Brothers and Sarah Brightman (among others).

Not bad company...but I kinda wish he could have picked another something else...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Review from the All Music Guide:

It's easy to think that since Santana made his big comeback using a lot of contemporary pop stars it would become the formula for the artists of yore to edge their way back into the limelight.

Sergio Mendes, the best-selling Brazilian recording artist of all time, hasn't made a platter in eight years. He plays piano on a Black Eyed Peas track -- "Sexy" from ELEPHUNK -- and the jam's a smash. Will.i.am of the Peas decides to hook up for a full-on collaboration with Mendes, because he's a huge fan.

Being the hotshot producer of the moment, will.i.am recruited everyone from Q-Tip, Justin Timberlake, and John Legend to Jill Scott, Black Thought (the Roots), and Stevie Wonder (just to name a few) to sign on. Recorded in both Brazil and the House of Blues in Encino, the set revisits many Mendes and Brazilian songbook classics and reworks them in the modern beat-driven idiom. Needless to say, the end result is entertaining, if mixed.

Let it be said that a cut like "Mas Que Nada" should never have been covered, let alone redone. But it is here with Black Eyed Peas and some backing vocals with, of course, Mendes playing that trademark piano riff.

OK, "That Heat" is a reworking of "Slow Hot Wind," the Henry Mancini tune Mendes covered and is supposedly the first track will.i.am ever sampled at the ripe old age of 14. Here Erykah Badu croons in a sultry humid way as will.i.am goes down deep with the rap. Mendes' piano is what keeps the thing from falling completely apart.

Better is the Baden Powell-Vinicius de Moraes medley of "Berimbau/Consolacao." Mendes' Rhodes offers the vamp that the elegant chorus singers -- Gracinha Leporace, Debi Nova, and Kleber Jorge -- and Mendes groove to. Will.i.am lays down some rather organic-sounding electronic percussion that sounds like palmas, and Wonder blows his harmonica over the entire proceeding as Jorge's guitar strides alongside Mendes' piano. This may be the best cut on the set.

There is a fine case to be made for the humor in "The Frog," written by João Donato, and originally covered by Mendes. Q-Tip lays down a charming rhyme and Mendes' Wurlitzer work is killer. The cover of "Let Me" is stiff and Jill Scott, as fine a singer as she is, doesn't cut it here, and neither does the rhythm track.

The smoother than smooth "Please Baby Don't," written and sung by John Legend, works because of Legend's understanding of Brazilian rhythm and Mendes' piano groove that carries the voice. "Samba da Bencao," with Marcelo D2 and guitars by the Maogani Quartet, is engaging; Mendes' acoustic piano solo is beautiful, as are the horn charts. The title track with India.Arie is simply beautiful. Arie, with backing vocals by Nova and Leporace and a slinky guitar part by Jorge, makes the tune simply float as Mendes decorates it with Rhodes and synth.

TIMELESS is a mixed bag, but it's not because of Mendes. His own playing and arranging is utterly elegant. As a producer, will.i.am means well and in general does a fine job -- though he is, as would be expected, a tad overzealous in working with one of his idols.

TIMELESS may not actually achieve that status, but for the moment it's a fine effort that doesn't reek of cloying commercial manipulation and feels like a true collaboration. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Sergio Mendes
"Timeless"
(Concord/Hear)

It's not a bad idea for some central cog in American pop music to revisit the case of Sergio Mendes, who has probably sold more records in the United States than any other Brazilian musician in history. And Will Adams, a k a Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, might even seem the right guy to do it, a hip-hop producer with a varied record collection and a feel for lighter grooves.

Will.i.am is the overall shaper and intrusive presence in "Timeless," which attempts to do for Mr. Mendes what "Genius Loves Company" did for Ray Charles. But there's a basic difference. Ray Charles may have been as much of a mainstream popularizer as Mr. Mendes, but he was a bedrock, strong enough to build a frothy superstructure on. Sergio Mendes represents much more porous ground.

A pianist from Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Mendes came to the United States in the 1960's and, on a string of records produced by Herb Alpert, manufactured English-language versions of bossa-nova songs, as well as bossa-nova versions of the Beatles, Burt Bacharach and soul hits.

On "Timeless," his opportunity to connect with newer streams in pop, including dancehall and neo-R&B, Mr. Mendes plays keyboards throughout. But it is overwhelmingly Will.i.am's album: he plays bass, supplies drum programming and raps on most of the songs in a G-rated, early-hip-hop style, cheery but toothless. The shiny new beats in "Timeless" weaken the groove that existed in songs like "Mas Que Nada," "Berimbau" and "Surfboard" even before Mr. Mendes got to them 40 years ago.

At the end, there are flashes of what could have been. "Loose Ends," over the drowsy old Mendes track "So Many Stars," takes a chance; it includes the New York rapper Pharoahe Monch, storytelling about the psychology of American soldiers in Iraq, and Justin Timberlake crooning the choruses. The deepest grooves are struck in "Fo'-Hop," with the guitarist and singer Guinga and the Brazilian rapper Marcelo D2. It's in a baião rhythm, sung in Portuguese, with the rapid swing of the original language, atmospheric guitar sounds and snarling rap passages. Finally, there's some there there. BEN RATLIFF

 

[TulitaPepsi]

From BILLBOARD:

On Sergio Mendes' "Timeless," hip-hop rubs beats with the samba and bossa nova. His first studio album in eight years is an outgrowth of the Latin pioneer's earlier collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas on the group's "Elephunk" album and the "Be Cool" soundtrack. Mendes and Peas frontman Will.i.am blend Brazilian polyrhythms, hip-hop beats, contemporary R&B and rap for an intriguing change of pace. Artists joining in this syncopation celebration include Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Justin Timberlake and John Legend. The troupe breathes new life into such Brazilian classics as "Mas Que Nada" (a 1966 hit for Mendes' Brasil '66) and "Let Me." However, the original tracks—especially Legend's "Please Baby Don't" and "Timeless" with India.Arie—are what boost the album beyond novelty status. —Gail Mitchell

 

[NMAlpertfan]

Here's the Rolling Stone review, which gave Timeless 3 out of 5 stars:

Having played on the last two Black Eyed Peas albums, Sergio Mendes here teams up with the Peas' Will.i.am for a playful but commercially serious bid to recapture the pop market he conquered in the mid-Sixties. And for the first few tracks, Timeless sounds more like a new Peas platter than a Mendes joint, even as it revisits the Brazilian music legend's hits via guest appearances by Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, Stevie Wonder and Jill Scott. It's Will.i.am's own raps that at first overwhelm Mendes' famously light bossa novas and airy sambas. But as the album relaxes halfway through with lush, newly written ballads featuring John Legend ("Please Baby Don't") and India.Arie ("Timeless"), the collaborations click. With deep rhymes written from a soldier's perspective and a pleading chorus sung by Justin Timberlake (who also wrote the track), "Loose Ends" clinches the disc as more than a savvy marketing scheme. When Timeless succeeds, it's beautiful, boundary-breaking music.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

Fascinating reviews here - I'm glad to read how overall positive they are, but one point ROLLING STONE and the NY TIMES share (and which I agree with) is that TIMLESS would be better with less Will and more Sergio (and may I add, more Gracinha!)

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Someone in a thread somewhere said it would be a better album if the rappers would shuddup and just let Sergio play and let the singers sing. Having heard about half the album now I would have to agree. Too bad will.i.am felt the need to perform, instead of just "produce." But I'm liking the record more than I thought I would! The reviewers are calling it like it is. No anti-old-guy sentiments, which is nice.

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

From The Washington Times:

Bossa nova sound is not timeless
By Y. Euny Hong
February 14, 2006

Sergio Mendes, Will.i.am, et al.
Timeless
Concord

If bossa nova were to stage a significant North American comeback, it could only happen with the active participation of the multitalented Brazilian recording artist Sergio Mendes, one of the form's leading popularizers, whose new compilation album, "Timeless," is being released today.

Each of its songs is a collaborative effort between Mr. Mendes and contemporary artists as diverse as Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder and Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

The album features innovative rerecordings of Mendes standards such as "Mas Que Nada," though Mr. Mendes' most famous recording, "The Look of Love," is curiously absent. Will.i.am, who also produced the album, has claimed that the first music he ever sampled in one of his rap songs was a Sergio Mendes tune.

Bossa nova has had an erratic and rough ride penetrating the U.S. market. It attained wide familiarity for a time without ever becoming very influential. Despite a brief heyday in the late '60s and early '70s, it has fallen almost completely out of favor with the exception of the ever-popular "Girl From Ipanema."

In recent years, bossa nova has appeared in movies or television shows for the sole purpose of poking fun at a certain time and place, such as when it was used as the background music for an Austin Powers seduction scene.

Will.i.am notwithstanding, very few contemporary artists have incorporated bossa nova influences into their sound. It is not as easily accessible as other Latin genres such as mambo or salsa, partly because of its lack of strong percussion.

The bulk of Mr. Mendes' original recordings from his days with Brasil '66 rely heavily on the contrabass, as well as the sandy sound of the maracas to provide rhythm. In other words, the sound is too soft to make a real crossover into the popular realm. This is where Will.i.am steps in, to punch in the more aggressive percussive elements of rap. He does so with varying degrees of success.

The blend of rap and bossa nova works well in the newly recorded version of "Mas Que Nada," wherein the Black Eyed Peas replace the song's original female refrains with rap. This is a felicitous introduction because the original version's female whispering was so soothing as to be almost soporific.

On the other hand, it's hard to know what to make of "Surfboard," kind of a mission statement for the album. Will.i.am provides the vocals, singing the praises of "This new genre, hip-hop bossa nova soul urban classical." He clarifies (sort of): "All my people break dancing to the left/all my people capoeira to the right/if you dancing samba in the back, come to the floor."

There's just one problem: There isn't anyone on the floor doing capoeira or samba; only break dancing. The album suffers from a disconnect between medium and message. The lyrics declare this song to be Latin fusion, but the sound is distinctly hip-hop.

The best sounds by far on the album are those with the most direct participation of Mr. Mendes (heard primarily in the instrumentation, not vocals) with the least intrusion from the contemporary artists.

"Timeless," therefore, is a mixed blessing: Bossa nova deserves a comeback, and these artists are to be commended for their appreciation of the genre. But this isn't the album that's going to bring about that comeback.

 

[NMAlpertfan]

Will.i.am notwithstanding, very few contemporary artists have incorporated bossa nova influences into their sound. It is not as easily accessible as other Latin genres such as mambo or salsa, partly because of its lack of strong percussion.

The bulk of Mr. Mendes' original recordings from his days with Brasil '66 rely heavily on the contrabass, as well as the sandy sound of the maracas to provide rhythm. In other words, the sound is too soft to make a real crossover into the popular realm. This is where Will.i.am steps in, to punch in the more aggressive percussive elements of rap. He does so with varying degrees of success.

These statements about the lack of strong percussion in bossa nova music are just plain wrong. Percussion, especially the drums, was very strong on Sergio's first two albums. Think about the drums on Brasil '66's cover of "Daytripper". They dominate the song, IMO. The percussion sections in Brasil '66 were made up of top-rate latin musicians who were great on their respective instruments. Further, Sergio's early music did not "rely heavily on the contrabass", an instrument that was usually in the background.

This review really doesn't cut it. Any other thoughts??

Rick

[Note: Edited by Moderator to enclose the quoted review section in a quote box.]

 

[TulitaPepsi]

This is the part that I objected to: "This is a felicitous introduction because the original version's female whispering was so soothing as to be almost soporific. "

"FEMALE WHISPERING?!" As this guy even HEARD the song?!

But to be fair, he does make good points later on:

"The lyrics declare this song to be Latin fusion, but the sound is distinctly hip-hop."

"The best sounds by far on the album are those with the most direct participation of Mr. Mendes .... with the least intrusion from the contemporary artists".

 

[Mike Blakesley]

FYI, "soporific" = "sleep-inducing."

I agree, he didn't listen very well if the early Brasil '66 put him to sleep.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

From the Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky)

"Sergio Mendes, the Latin-lite bandleader from the 1960s, makes a comeback with "Timeless." But it looks suspiciously like a marketing project with endless guest stars, including John Legend, Stevie Wonder and at least one member of the Black Eyed Peas on nearly every track. The cover is cool, though."

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060214/SCENE04/602140314/1011/SCENE

From INSIDE BAY AREA:

"Timeless," Sergio Mendes (Concord/Hear Music)

Looking for an "out-of-leftfield" hit for 2006? Bet on Sergio Mendes. That's right that Sergio Mendes, the man responsible for the hits "Brasil 66," "Mas Que Nada" and "The Look of Love."

The Brazilian star, who turned 65 on Saturday, has called upon a new crew of celebs to help him get back on the charts. The list of guest stars is quite impressive and includes Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Jill Scott. The remake of "Mas Que Nada" is delicious.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3507759

I don't remember if the following article , "Sergio Mendes Makes His Return" was posted. It's a fascinating take on the marketing strategy of the Concord/Starbucks music conglomerate, with some god quotes by Sergio:

'I hope those great melodies become popular; that the new kids hear the old melodies and enjoy them,' Mendes says, speaking on the phone from his Los Angeles home.

He had stopped recording all those years, he says, 'because really, I didn`t have any kind of motivation.'

That changed when Will.i.am appeared at his doorstep three years ago, armed with Mendes` old vinyl albums, wanting to convince Mendes to play on a cut for the Black Eyed Peas` 'Elephunk.'

The result, Mendes says, 'felt totally different from before. It just felt great, and fresh and unique. And a week later I said, `You know, we should make a record together.` '

Just as Will.i.am was a fan of Mendes`, so was Concord Music co-owner Hal Gaba. When he heard Mendes was recording with the Black Eyed Peas frontman,he signed him.

Concord, in turn, presented the project to Starbucks and its label, Hear Music, with which Concord has partnered on several projects, including Ray Charles` 'Genius Loves Company.'

'Sergio is not only a music pioneer who frankly introduced Brazilian music to the world 40 years ago; this was just a great CD,' Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard says. 'From our perspective, there is that timeless quality we knew our customers would enjoy.'

Although a Hear Music/Starbucks push can help many artists, in Mendes` case it is particularly useful, Concord GM Gene Rumsey says.

'Timeless' will be marketed to three distinct segments: Mendes` core fan base, the Black Eyed Peas` far younger core fan base and the broad base of middle-aged consumers - 35-54 - who buy two to three CDs per year.

This broad fan base, Rumsey says, is the 'sweet spot, because there are so many of them. If we can get to them, we are looking at a multiplatinum album. Starbucks will help us get to them.'

The Starbucks promotion includes placement in its more than 4,400 North American stores, in-store play, signage and programming on the Hear Music channel that airs on XM Satellite Radio.

Although introductory track 'That Heat,' featuring Badu and Will.i.am, was sent to radio programmers as a warm-up track, the biggest effort will be behind 'Mas Que Nada,' which will be pushed across many formats this spring.

Even today, 40 years after Mendes first recorded it, the song should ring some bells. For many, however, 'Timeless`` may represent a completely new discovery.

'My kids, I have a 19-year-old and a 12-year-old, they think their dad is cool now,' Mendes says with a laugh. 'For me, that is the good thermometer. My kids` friends, they come to the house, and they ask, `Who is that?` And they say, `It`s my dad!` Some of them never heard these songs. For them, it`s all new. That`s the beauty of this project.'



http://music.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1097397.php/Sergio_Mendes_makes_his_return

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Postmodern Hip-Hop Spices Up Samba
By Elizabeth Wade
Spectator Staff Writer

February 17, 2006

The first time I heard “Yes, Yes Y’all,” the single from Sergio Mendes’ Timeless, was what NPR-connoisseurs call a driveway moment. It came on just as I was unbuckling my seatbelt to get out of the car, but five minutes and nine seconds later, I was still glued to the seat, completely focused on the radio. The seamless combination of top-notch mainstream hip-hop, sparse percussion, and a certain quality of bossa nova that can only be described as groovy makes the song absolutely irresistible.

Timeless, which is produced by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas and features performances from everyone from Stevie Wonder to Justin Timberlake, sounds like the best mash-up record ever made. It contains equal parts rap and samba, but neither style is diluted in an effort to make the two more compatible. The cross-cultural aesthetic isn’t surprising coming from Mendes, who has been a pioneer in Brazilian jazz, American pop, and every combination of the two since the 1960s. But will.i.am’s involvement is still unmistakable, bringing the Black Eyed Peas’ particular blend of Gwen Stefani-catchiness and Kanye West-innovation to the table.

It would have been easy to develop a formula for melding Brazilian and American urban music, as they have been influenced by each other for decades. Mendes’ and will.i.am’s most impressive achievement is that no two songs on Timeless sound exactly alike—each incorporates a different range of styles and draws on the talents of different performers. Like many of the tracks, “Bananeira” is based around a grime-like drum machine beat that contains more empty space than sound, but layers of joyful reggae and relaxed Brazilian jazz are quickly added to the mix. The backbone of the title track could easily have been pulled from the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack (or every techno song of the ’90s), but is integrated flawlessly into Mendes’ smooth piano progressions. Much to the delight of old school Mendes fans, the first track is a remake of “Mas Que Nada,” one of Mendes’ first hits from 1966, but, as will.i.am says, with “The Black Eyed Peas come to make it hot-ta.”

Will.i.am’s cleverness as a producer shines through most in Timeless’ use of the past, pulling postmodern stunts like sampling the sample of Mendes’ version of “Slow Hot Wind” for “That Heat.” He is also the mastermind behind the album’s brilliant selection and use of collaborators, who are given enough freedom to make each song their own. But Mendes is never far in the background, with lyrics like “Judging on how fast the word go / They probably already know we’re here with Sergio” constantly emphasizing his legendary presence.

As the remix and mashup industries explode, a space is being created for albums like Timeless, which blurs the lines of cover and collaboration, resulting in the most original record of the year. Dancing, or at least bouncing, furiously behind the wheel of my car (or now, the screen of my computer), it is easy to believe will.i.am’s words on “Surfboard”—“This fusion will never fail.”

http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/17/43f59d18a9c0d

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Latin samba sounds combine with R&B

by Rithvik Balakrishnan

Friday, February 17, 2006

The Brazilian musical style of bossa nova, devised by João 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

http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2006/02/17/latin_samba_sounds_c.php

 

[Trevor]

Latin samba sounds combine with R&B

by Rithvik Balakrishnan

It's interesting.

This person didn't give a great review for the album, and it seems that some facts are not correct:
"Graciela"
"Mais Que Nada" (the long time battle of the correct spelling)
"Each track in Timeless is a remix of a song previously recorded by Mendes or a cover."

Also, I have noticed that most reviewers don't remember "Never Gonna Let You Go".

Trevor
who is venting to his fellow Sergio fans.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Sergio Mendes, the man responsible for the hits "Brasil 66," "Mas Que Nada" and "The Look of Love."

Also somewhere along the line, writers have gotten the idea that "Brasil 66" is a song title. (This is even on the Timeless website -- in a list of songs, "Brasil 66" is there. That's probably where this mistake came from.

I'll bet Gracinha could make a fairly amusing list of the various misspellings of her name she's seen over the years.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

I'm happy to see good reviews, although I have to say that.....

“Fo’ Hop,” “Lamento” and “E Menina” have no English lyrics, giving them a more foreign sound.

is one of the most stupid statements I've ever seen in print in my entire life......

 

[Trevor]

WOW!
Thank you! That is really funny!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Read the last paragraph again -- this is no Pulitzer Prize winning writer we're dealing with here, the way he contradicts himself:

Taken as a whole, Timeless is for the most part successful .../snip/... Only a few songs on the album are suitable for attentive listens; the rest are better suited to serve as background noise.

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Rap-and-Rio
Sergio Mendes Is Jazzed to Be Back With a Sound Part Brazil and Part Bronx

By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 18, 2006; C01

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif At home on a warm winter day, Sergio Mendes is a model of jazzy cool as he stands over a black Schimmel concert piano, his hands gliding across the keys.

A broad, toothy grin swallows Mendes's face as the haunting chords of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Surfboard" fill the sprawling house, the one that has bold Brazilian paintings hanging from the walls and Portuguese texts about music and poetry scattered about.

And why not smile? Mendes is making a harmonically complicated composition sound like the easiest thing in the world to play. He's also somehow making Southern California feel like . . . Brazil.

But Mendes quickly interrupts the illusion.

"You know, Dr. Dre lives up the street!" he says. He laughs, then adds this about his rapper-producer of a neighbor: "I haven't met him yet."

Still, this is Sergio Mendes's world now. The pianist and arranger who brought bossa nova to the mainstream in the 1960s -- and who for years was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, if not the world -- suddenly finds himself knocking on strange new doors, with hip-hop-style welcome mats out front.

Forty years after his group, Brasil '66, crashed the charts with "Mas Que Nada" and a full, fairly quiet decade since the release of his last studio project, Mendes is attempting a career resurrection of sorts with the help of some unlikely new friends. His new album, "Timeless," features a hip-hop and R&B guest list that includes John Legend, Justin Timberlake, India.Arie and the Black Eyed Peas. The Peas' leader, Will "will.i.am" Adams, produced the project, which includes a few new songs but plenty of Brazilian classics that have been given a hip-hop makeover complete with samples and drum loops.

Or, as Adams raps (yes, raps ) at one point over Mendes's piano lines: "This new genre, hip-hop samba . . . bossa nova, urban classical."

If that concept does not sound at least somewhat outrageous, then you almost certainly missed the Swinging Sixties, when the smooth, styling sounds of Mendes were heard regularly on U.S. radio, and the young, doe-eyed artist from Niteroi, just across the mouth of Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro, was touring with Frank Sinatra, and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Rap, of course, wasn't even a gleam in its mother's eye then. In the decades since, hip-hop producers from Pharrell Williams to Adams have cited Mendes's music as an influence, and Adams even sampled some of it before inviting Mendes to appear on a Black Eyed Peas album. But still.

"It's a project that on its face seems a little odd and unusual," says Glen Barros, president of Concord Records, the storied jazz label that partnered with Starbucks/Hear Music to release "Timeless." Stylistically, Barros says, the album "doesn't fit into a box. It's a blend of so many different elements and it's not easy to describe. But I think it works really well."

Says Adams, who wasn't yet born when Mendes first began appearing on the Billboard charts: "We didn't make it for a specific group. We just made beautiful music. When we were in the studio, Sergio never said, 'Well, Will, my audience is not going to whatever.' And I didn't say, 'Well, Sergio, the [hip-hop] heads are checking for whatever.' We just did it."

Mendes, who last week turned 65, admits that he wasn't familiar with some of the young artists before he collaborated with them. For instance, when Adams suggested using the New York rapper Q-Tip on a remake of "The Frog," Mendes responded: " Who ?" (His 19-year-old son, Gustavo, had to bring Mendes up to speed. "I'm an old bebopper," he says. "I like to listen to old jazz records.")

Mendes, however, insists that he was excited about the experiment, which was conceived not by some Clive Davis-like figure hoping to engineer a Carlos Santana-style comeback, but by Adams and Mendes themselves after the producer invited the pianist to play on the Black Eyed Peas album "Elephunk."

"I haven't made a record in 10 years because I had no interest," says Mendes, speaking in a sonorous baritone with a lilting accent. "I was touring all over the world with a great band, but I had no motivation to make another album. But I like meeting young people and I like new things. When I met Will, he was really the motivation for me doing this."

The idea, Mendes says, was to introduce Brazilian melodies to a young audience that typically subsists on a diet of hip-hop and contemporary soul. "It's a wonderful encounter with two cultures. It doesn't sound like anything else out there. And at the same time, it has all the simple components of what I think people want to hear. They want to hear great songs and melodies. And, there's a beat they can dance to and a rap they can say the words to. I hope they embrace it."

Satisfied, Mendes claps three times.

He is sitting in his living room now, sipping a frothy espresso drink made by his wife of 33 years, Gracinha Leporace, who sings in Mendes's band. He's wearing a red Polo shirt, pressed and cuffed khakis, black slip-ons and blue socks that match the color of his watchband. His hair has been dyed black and he has a faint goatee. He has a bit of a belly, too, suggesting that Mendes has been living the good life. (Other clues include the Mercedes-Benz parked out front of the well-appointed home in a swanky gated community -- and the house itself.)

"Sergio is a good liver," says Alpert, his old friend.

Forty years ago, Alpert and Jerry Moss signed Mendes and Brasil '66 to A&M Records. Mendes was a classically trained pianist who got turned on to jazz when, at age 13, he heard Dave Brubeck. He'd moved to California in 1964, after a military coup in Brazil, and released several U.S. albums without much success. But with A&M, he struck pay dirt, recording a string of such global hits "Mas Que Nada" (a crossover hit with Portuguese lyrics) and Brazilianized, easy-listening covers of Western pop songs, including Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" and the Beatles' "The Fool on the Hill."

"When the bossa-nova craze hit the U.S., I said, 'This is the coolest thing I've ever heard,' " says Ken Smith, who frequently sneaks Mendes's music onto the '50s-centric channel he programs for XM Satellite Radio. "Sergio was really a bridge between what was strictly Brazilian or jazz and mainstream pop acceptance. I fell in love with his music."

Says Alpert: "Sergio walked through the door that Stan Getz had opened with 'Girl From Ipanema.' His music was very engaging and unique. He turned people on to a whole new form of music."

Much, as it turns out, to the artist's surprise. "I became a big success," Mendes says. "It surprised everybody, including myself. But it was a good surprise, having a worldwide-accepted sound. Meeting Herb and Jerry was the best thing that happened to my career." (It worked out well for Alpert, too: He wound up marrying the Brasil '66 singer Lani Hall.)

Mendes continued to enjoy success on and off over the next two decades, before beginning a gradual fade from the spotlight. He toured regularly and even won a Grammy in the early '90s, but the hits weren't there.

His legacy, though, was squarely in place: Last year, Mendes was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys. He half-jokingly says he expects to be invited to the regular Grammys in 2007. As a nominee.

So, will "Timeless" do great things for his profile and popularity, a la Johnny Cash's late-career comeback? Will it be a multi-platinum smash, a la Santana's? Mendes simply shrugs and smiles and notes that he's just happy that his 12- and 19-year old sons now think that their father is cool. He appears otherwise unimpressed by his own place in the pantheon. (To wit: That Lifetime Achievement Award sits on the floor of Mendes's upstairs studio, where the mantel belongs to a rare, unopened bottle of birth-year Bordeaux: the 1941 Chateau Latour.)

"He's a true artist," Alpert says. "He likes to make wonderful music that touches him. I think he feels like this album is a unique concept, and he's satisfied with that. He's not thinking in terms of his popularity or what the album is going to do for his legacy."

Barros, the Concord president, however, has a slightly different view.

"Sergio will be forever famous as a result of the Brasil '66 project," Barros says. "He did great things to bring Brazilian music to American popular culture. But when you have large gaps between records, people tend to forget a little bit.

"We're hoping this is the next phase of his career and will bring him even greater notoriety. He deserves it."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

 

[TulitaPepsi]

From Western News:

If Carlos Santana can make a huge comeback with a little help from his friends then, after almost a decade of silence, it’s obvious that Sergio Mendes, at age 65, has nothing to lose by tossing his hot sauce into this surefire recipe for success.
Brazil-born Mendes was that country’s best-selling artist, with hit singles regularly charting in the top five around the world throughout the late ‘60s and then again in 1983 with his first so-called comeback album Sergio Mendes. As a hit maker he was a cover artist of sorts, rarely wining any radio airplay with his own hand penned or original material. So his collaboration with Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas as producer seems as natural as it is advantageous to the aging Brazilian pop star.
Timeless features a selection of reworked Mendes hits including Mas Que Nada and the contributions of others who were recruited by producer Will.i.am. Other artists who join in the fun are Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Jill Scott and India Arie to name a few.
If you were a fan of Mendes in the past, be open-minded. Timeless may seem like a bit of a car wreck if you’re looking for tradition. Will.i.am was almost a little too zealous at times with a couple of these great songs coming dangerously close to getting lost in just a wee bit too much hip-hop. But I think the album, as a whole, is a feather in the bossa nova king’s cap that could be somewhat of an epiphany for many young dance enthusiasts and the birth of a new audience for Mendes.
- LeAnne Jakubeit

http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=102&cat=44&id=592214&more=

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

CD reviews: Alpert 'Rewhipped' works better than Mendes
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Timeless
Sergio Mendes (Concord)

Whipped Cream & Other Delights: Rewhipped
Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass (Shout Factory)

It's nice to see will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas resurrecting the music of Sergio Mendes, but "Timeless" is a complete miscalculation. The grafting of rap onto Mendes' work totally disrupts, instead of enhances, the Brazilian syncopation. "Mas Que Nada" just starts to percolate when a rap that wrecks the song's flow. "That Heat" never gets started, Erykah Badu's lovely vocal going for naught.

Only "Baby Please Don't," which features John Legend, realizes and stays true to the exotic sultriness of Mendes' work.

"Whipped Cream & Other Delights: Rewhipped" fares better. Alpert's compositions are simpler than Mendes', and at times the remixes, especially "Whipped Cream" and "Green Peppers," add layers of texture. Medeski, Martin & Wood especially seem to be having fun, kicking some life into "El Garbanzo."

Conversely "A Taste of Honey" was pleasant enough in all its lightness; the added percussion in the remixed version by John King is a distraction.

-- Regis Behe

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/music/s_424638.html