Search - Joao Gilberto :: Joao Voz E Violao

The essentials

yonlu | Porto Alegre, RS Brazil | 04/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've taken a discovery dive into the wonderworld of Brazilian music, which was mostly unbeknowst to me, even being Brazilian myself. From all the different genres and musical movements I've researched, bossa nova is by far the most inspired. It was the most creative ever made in this country and I think nothing better will ever be done. To listen to any given bossa nova song is to look at a snapshot of the Brazilian soul. And this was the first bossa nova record I bought. I'm looking forward to buying Gilberto's earlier, orchestrated work, part of which I've listened to on the internet, but for me, this is really what his music is all about: voice, guitar, and silence. Any bossa nova fan should buy this. By the way, I strongly disagree with those who call bossa nova "chill out" music. The interpretation of "Coração Vagabundo" in this album is one of the most angsty, sad songs I've ever heard, and "Chega de Saudade" is a wonderful bittersweet tale and I love João Gilberto's rendition of it, especially the guitar rythm."

Extraordinary

D. Briscoe | CA United States | 12/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is an extraordinary experience of one voice with one guitar. For 40 years I've waited for the perfect Joao Gilberto album, and finally here it is."

Admirably Straight-Forward

colinwoodward | Virginia | 06/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a simple, yet intimate album. It sounds like what you might hear had you Joao Gilberto over for drinks and got him to play his guitar for a half hour. I am not very familiar with Joao Gilberto's music (I am better acquainted with his ex-wife Astrud's). Mostly what I know of him is from the classic Getz-Gilberto album. But if this album is any indication, Joao's talent has not diminished since the 1960s. He made a wise artistic choice here and recorded these tracks with just him on guitar and singing. No drums, sythns, or strings. Most of the songs I was unfamiliar with, other than the classic Desafinado. Perhaps great musicians of the 1960s can never really recapture the sound they had perfected back then, whether it be Joao Gilberto, Bob Dylan, or Paul McCartney. What does come through here is the charm of a great musician standing alone. This is not a long album or an ambitious one, but it is an honest one, and one that you will not tire of listening to. A good choice for bossa nova fans."