Bebel Gilberto

BEBEL GILBERTO
BEBEL GILBERTO
SIX DEGREES RECORDS

On her debut, 2000's Tanto Tempo, Bebel Gilberto pushed Brazilian sounds into the 21st century with intriguing mixes of electronic music and the ever-fruitful genres of her country. But in this soothing self-titled follow-up, Gilberto retreats to a more acoustic position—everything from chiming pianos to restless guitars to the monkey-sounding hoots of the cuica, an instrument that adds a giddiness to the album sorely missing in today's sober music. Gilberto begins with a dreamy remake of the floating Gal Costa standard "Baby," adding enough ivory tinkles to make Norah Jones jealous. Whether delving into the thuds of Afro-Brazilian candomblé with "Aganjú" or bossa nova worthy of her legendary father, João, in "Winter," her voice is always as sultry as a Rio rainstorm, all about the nostalgic notes and sighed syllables. Gilberto's singing embodies everything alluring about the female voice and is so enthralling you want to jump into your speakers and propose to her. Part of that attraction is due to her lyrical focus on saudade, a uniquely Brazilian-Portuguese sentiment that encompasses wistfulness, desire and resignation. Check out the way she coos with mourning and joy the line "Do you know how it is without anyone?" on "Every Day You've Been Away." There are great electronic touches as well—the swirling "Cada Beijo" ("Each Kiss") will probably launch a thousand remixes with its resonant drumbeats and echoing harp plucks. Bebel Gilberto features perhaps three English songs too many on the album, but Gilberto seamlessly switches from English to Portuguese, especially on the chiming "Jabuticaba." The tune is our early vote for this year's Official Summer Song—like the rest of the album, it's the digital equivalent of an afternoon lounging in the park with your beloved.