Search - Sergio Mendes :: Bom Tempo

Summer fun.

peterhoof | London, UK | 06/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In Portuguese, "Bom Tempo" is the equivalent of "Great Time". Fun.

As the title implies, this is a party record. A Brazilian party record.

The famed Brazilian musician hes enjoyed a kind of revival lately.

For his last two CDs "Timeless" and "Encanto", he solicited input from members of the Black Eyed Peas and stars like Justin Timberlake, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, John Legend and Fergie.

On this one, Mendes doesn't go too far and opts for the successful formula: updating on classic Brazillian tunes and mixing bossa nova, jazz, samba, dashes of hip-hop, harmonious vocals and flourishing keyboards that cascade over infectious rhythms, he has produced a sunny, bright disc tailored for summer fun.

Brazilian songwriters such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Joao Donato, Carlinhos Brown, Jorge Benjor, Milton Nascimento, Moacir Santos, and Stevie Wonder are spotlighted on this collection of remakes.

The dance floor has long been Mendes' place of business: here he cuts back on the all-star collaborations -- Milton Nascimento, Carlinhos Brown, rapper H2O and vocalists Nayanna Holley and Katie Hampton, but Seu Jorge is probably the brightest light -- but keeps the energy high, occasionally juicing the music with strains of other styles.

The result, at times, is an irresistible, lively rhythm and energy, thanks mostly to the production by electronica gurus such as Paul Oakenfold and Roger Sanchez.

You will enjoy tracks such as "Emorio", "Pais Tropical", Stevie Wonder's "The Real Thing" and Milton Nascimento's "Caxanga".

Some people may dislike the too smart formulaic delivery and Sergio's ability to take advantage of the current hip-hop musical trend to the detriment of the beautiful, original and sophisticated sounds.

As a whole, there is no doubt: the album is enjoyable and Mendes delivers a good deal of feel-good grooves.

Encanto

Timeless

"

Belissima!!

bordersj2 | Boston | 06/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the past 4 years, Sergio Mendes has put out at least 3 albums with modern touches and flair, but not shying away from the overall quality that has made him one of the legends of the music scene. To me there are not many composers and musicians that dwell within the realm of 'genius' but Sergio Mendes is one of them. In the 00's he released albums of new material & refreshed classics with help and contributions from the talented Will-I-Am of the Black Eyed Peas. The first, "Timeless", was a successful fusion of cultures and styles which featured a wealth of popular musicians from both the US and Brasil, among other places. The follow-up, "Encanto", was every bit as exceptional to me. But on both albums there were pleas to go with the a certain sound. More specifically, to tap into the 'Brasileiro' roots of the music and focus. This is where "Bom Tempo" comes in. Re-uniting with Carlinhos Brown, who contributed quite a bit with the previous two albums and before even this (remember "Brasileiro" and "Oceano") you're given a summer soundtrack!



Whereas the last few albums had several hits and misses, this one was more consistent to me. It's the perfect soundtrack for the summer - the summer of the 2010 World Cup. Light, fantastically produced, terrific instrumentation. It starts out festive (but not tooo festive) with "Emorio", which has a pretty interesting medley of a few of the hits from some of his more recent albums (A Ra, Mas Que Nada, Surfboard, etc.) along with some good hommage mixed in (Aquelle Abraco!). "Maracatu Atomico" is given a funky update thanks in part to Mario Caldato Jr. with Seu Jorge on vocals. "You and I", featuring Carlinhos Brown and Nayanna Holley was really sweet. A song I really love is "Orpheus" and I enjoyed this rendition of it. Another highlight to the album is "Maracatu" (Nation of Love/April Child). It really is a beautiful, wonderful title sung by Gracinha and Seu Jorge. Finally - I also really liked "Caxanga" (also referred to as "Escravos Do Jo"). Milton Nascimento lent his voice on this one. And the final song, a classic of Jobim, was well done with a neat beat - "So Tinha De Ser Com Voce".



I couldn't reference all of the titles, but those were my favorites. However not every song grabbed me. I'm more used to Seu Jorge using the subtlety & coolness in his voice like he did in a show with Ana Carolina so this was a bit of a breakaway to me since here he was shouting. The rap did take away some of the charm from the tracks as well. But as a plus there was a noticeable hommage to Moacir Santos on this (Orpheus, April Child) that made me want to listen to his albums again. And with Sergio's wife Gracinha available along with other talented artists from today and yesterday, this album is a treat that you won't want to miss this summer. If you like this, note that there is already a remix album available which has some pretty good takes, albeit some of which are much more club oriented. You'll also want to check out Moacir Santos, his album "Ouro Negro" released maybe 7-8 years ago. And of course, check out other albums Carlinhos Brown has been a part of. Really about 4 stars, but this album is a 'Good Time' and is sure to put a smile on your face."

Good, not great....

Papetti | Mexico City | 06/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sergio Mendes' latest recording "Bom Tempo" = good time or good weather, could have gone easily to his recording history as perhaps his best recording ever, but instead of being a Great album, IMO is just good. I have almost all his recordings, and I love Sergio's music and style, but unfortunately in this recording, he interacts rap and partido alto (the Brazilian counterpart to rap) to beautiful, almost superb tunes; and that diminishes/destroys the potential quality that was there; I don't share the opinion that in order to make these tunes updated and available to newer generations you need to use rap and nonsense stuff (watered down) like Sergio's done lately; actually, people who'd be really interested in Sergio's music and who would cherish it dearly would not be 15 or 20 year olds.



Anyway, here's the track list (not shown here in Amazon's page):

1. Emorio (with Nayanna Holley and Carlinhos Brown, using incidental tracks by Jorge Ben, Joao Donato, Tom Jobim and Gilberto Gil)

2. Maracatu Atomico (with Seu Jorge)

3. You and I (with Nayanna and Carlinhos) -the first single of this album-

4. Ye-Me-Le (with Gracinha Leporace, and incidental music of Taj Mahal by Jorge Ben

5. Magalenha (with Carlinhos)

6. Orpheus -Quiet Carnaval-

7. Pais Tropical

8. Maracatu -Nation of Love- (with Gracinha and Seu)

9. The Real Thing (with Katie Hampton)

10. Caminhos Cruzados (with Gracinha)

11. Caxanga (with Milton Nascimento)

12. So Tinha de Ser Com Voce (with Gracinha)

13. Mas Que Nada (with Black Eyed Peas) - perhaps the worst version of Mas Que Nada I've ever heard.



All in all, it's a very recommendable album if you can get passed the infamous rap and partido alto segments in the songs; most all of them played by Sergio and his several groups in the past."