Track Listing

1. Samba De Bencao
2. August Day Song
3. Tanto Tempo
4. Sem Contencao
5. Mais Feliz
6. Alguem
7. So Nice (Summer Samba)
8. Lonely
9. Bananeira
10. Samba E Amor
11. Close Your Eyes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6062 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-25
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com's Best of 2000
Her father may be the legendary Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto, but in 2000 daughter Bebel proved that she understands the bossa nova, too. There's a subtlety throughout this recording that makes Bebel's voice entrancing, as she re-creates the sensual essence of bossa nova before running with it into electronic territory toward the album's end. Tanto Tempo is an even-tempered statement that manages to showcase Bebel's own sexy voice while gracefully remembering the past. --Karen K. Hugg

Amazon.com
Daughter of the famed Brazilian pop and bossa nova singer João Gilberto, Bebel recalls her father's own classic recordings on Tanto Tempo, with a sure sense of pitch. Bebel Gilberto is hardly less charming for that, though, and the album entices with hushed passion. Relying mostly on acoustic instruments and some muted orchestrations, Tanto Tempo is nonetheless smartly paced to allow for some tasteful dance-club electronics to augment a few tracks, and ends on a celebratory note with "Close Your Eyes"--all but an invitation to Carnival. The current trend for things Brazilian should assure this disc a deservedly wide audience. Licensing it for the U.S. is another minor triumph for the fine San Francisco-based label Six Degrees. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

A marvelously subtle and lovely work
Bebel Gilberto is a true child of Brazilian music royalty, and she is keeping the dynasty going in excellent style. Daughter of bossa nova genius Joao Gilberto and Miucha--a fine singer in her own right, though less well known in the United States--and niece of the brilliant, unequalled Chico Buarque, she has inherited an absolutely beautiful voice and superb songwriting ability. Her CD succeeds in marrying the traditional rhythms and hypnotic melodies of bossa nova with a fresh, modern sound, thanks to producer Suba, and guests ranging from Amon Tobin to percussionist extraordinaire Carlinhos Brown. Sung in both English and Portuguese, the music ranges from soft and romantic to high-energy samba to delightfully jazzy. For me, a special treat is her wonderful cover of Chico's gorgeous and sexy "Samba e Amor"--but everything's great.

Worth the Wait
Much-anticipated albums have a way of disappointing their audience once they finally arrive. High expectations give way to a mild or a severe letdown. "Tanto Tempo" is an exception to that general rule. A lot of people were looking forward to this album, but, if anything, we got more than we hoped for. Bebel Gilberto manages to mix samba, bossa, light jazz, and contemporary pop influences gracefully to create a gorgeous album that sounds thoroughly modern, but with enough respect for tradition that it is unlikely to offend the Rio purists.

Every cut is obviously very carefully thought through. She obviously didn't just enter the studio and start playing. The attention to mood and detail is such that each track fully realizes a life of its own, the result being that the more one listens to this CD, the better it gets.

This may well end up being Brazilian music's biggest North American hit since her father, Joao, and Stan Getz topped the charts in the 60's. It also just might become one of those ultimate summer albums that never quite wears out its welcome. A lovely, cool breeze of a CD.

An Excellent CD
The long awaited "debut" album of Bebel Gilberto doesn't disappoint. Sixdegrees Records has yet another star. Tanto Tempo is amazing, everything you would expect from Bebel Gilberto given her various special appearances (Next Stop Wonderland, Red Hot + Rio) and musical background. This style is similar to the NSW... but arguably better. A few notables include a duet with Nina Miranda of Smoke City (2) along with tracks produced by the late Suba. A smooth, sensual, easy CD perfect for any occasion, fusing acid jazz, bossa nova, samba and R&B. Excellent sound quality, excellent accompaniment, a magnificent voice. Highly recommended CD.