Rio
de Janeiro and Salvador with Marius de Vries, Guy Sigsworth
and Pascal Gabriel. Bebel Gilberto will perform an exclusive
open-air concert in the courtyard of Somerset House in
London on Friday July 16 as part of this year’s Somerset
House Series.
“ The new album reflects the years I have spent working and travelling
since Tanto Tempo,” explains Bebel. “While I tried to recapture the
magical feeling of Tanto Tempo, I had to move to a more grown up stage.” She
and de Vries decided on predominantly acoustic instrumentation. Understated flourishes
help provide a framework for her oh-so intimate voice. The opening track, ‘Simplesmente’,
sets the standard; ‘Aganjú’ - written by Carlinhos Brown and
featuring Bebel’s mother, Miúcha, on backing vocals - keeps it.
There’s the gorgeous ‘All Around’, a slow, sad bossa nova performed
with guitarist Masaharu Shimizu.
The Portuguese-language ‘Cada Beijo’,
co-written with Sigsworth, is all the more dramatic for its stark simplicity.
Then there is ‘Baby’, a track by Caetano Veloso with tongue-in-cheek
English lyrics provided by Os Mutantes. On thepathos-filled ‘Céu
Distante’, Bebel teams up with Pascal Gabriel. ‘Every Day You’ve
Been Away’, written especially for Bebel by two musicians with similarly
impressive pedigrees: Daniel Jobim and Pedro Baby Gomes. Both insisted that Bebel,
and only Bebel, should sing it. Bebel originally wrote ‘ O Caminho’ for
Cesaria Evora, a track whose poignancy is augmented by exquisite piano from yet
another legend, João Donato. Described by In Style as, ‘Brazilian
music’s hottest star,’ and by The Times as, ‘The new queen
of bossa,’ Bebel Gilberto is ‘The new girl from Ipanema,’ according
to Vogue, Blues & Soul’s ‘Ultimate summer delight,’ and ‘A
class above the rest’ in DJ’s eyes. As the daughter of João
Gilberto,
the creator of bossa nova, Bebel was always going to have to work hard at forging
a solo career.
Her
mother, Miúcha, is a well known singer. Her uncle Chico
Buarque
is one of Brazil’s first pop stars. Brazilians expected great things of
Bebel, who made her recording debut at the age of seven on one of her mother’s
records, and appeared live at New York’s Carnegie Hall (alongside Miúcha
and jazz legend Stan Getz) at the age of nine. In 1991 she left Rio for her birthplace,
New York. She fine-tuned her musical vision, worked with the likes of David Byrne,
Thievery Corporation and Deee-Lite’s Towa Tei, brought the bossa nova sound
to the metropolis’ dance floors, and created Tanto Tempo with the late
lamented
production genius Suba. Critical acclaim for Tanto Tempo was both widespread
and
ecstatic. ‘ The epitome of cool,’ proclaimed MOJO. ‘Tanto Tempo
already
has the unmistakable aura of a classic,’ wrote the Sunday Times. The Daily
Mail praised it for mixing ‘Bossa nova and smooth electronics in a fresh
and
fascinating way,’ while Q rated it ‘Excellent’.
Tracklisting:
1. Simplesmente
2. Aganjú
3. All Around
4. River Song
5. Every Day You’ve Been Away
6. Cada Beijo
7. O Caminho
8. Baby
9. Céu distante
10. Winter
11. Jabuticaba
12. Next To You
http://www.bebelgilberto.com
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