Sergio Mendes:
Timeless

Release Date: 17 April 2006

Reviewed By: EliZka

1) Mas Que Nada (ft. The Black Eyed Peas)

2) That Heat (ft. Erykah Badu & Will.i.am)

3) Berimbau/Consolacao (ft. Stevie Wonder & Gracinha Leporace)

4) The Frog (ft. Q-Tip)

5) Let Me (ft. Jill Scott & Will.i.am)

6) Bananeira (Banana Tree) (ft. Mr Vegas)

7) Surfboard (ft. Will.i.am)

8) Please Baby Don’t (ft. John Legend)

9) Samba Da Bencao (Samba Of The Blessing) (ft. Macelo D2)

10) Timeless (ft. India.Arie)

11) Loose (ft. Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch & Will.i.am)

12) Fo’-Hop (Por Tras De Pina) (ft. Guinga & Marcelo D2)

13) Lamento (No Morro) (ft. Maogani Quartet)

14) E Menina (Hey Girl)

15) Yes, Yes, Y’all (ft. Black Thought, Chali 2na, Debi Nova & Will.i.am)

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The time has come to go back to the Brazilian grooves of the mid 1960’s, all the way to the late 70’s and reintroduce to you Sergio Mendes. The prominent Brazilian artist, who in that time, greatly contributed in conveying the Brazilian samba and bossa nova (jazz akin derivative from samba) to the international heights, with classic hits such as ‘Brasil 66’, ‘The Look of Love’ and ‘Mas Que Nada’.

Now, take hold of ‘Mas Que Nada’, give it to Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, as he is the producer behind this “Timeless” album, and you get the cut, which you might have heard in the commercials of Joga Bonito/Nike Football or in the 2006 FIFA World Cup video game.

Here, you have some of the classic Sergio Mendes bossa nova and samba sounds with an infusion of jazz, pop and the new hip hop era, in which Will.i.am lends his talents and adds some new compilations and an appealing dosage of renowned current artists.

The two met when Will.i.am asked Sergio to play piano on the successful track ‘Sexy’ from the ‘Elephunk’ album. Seeing as Will.i.am is a huge fan of Sergio’s, it was only a matter of time before the fruitful alliance started surging. Take, ‘That Heat’, for example, featuring Erykah Badu and Will.i.am; a redraft from the Henry Mancini song ‘Slow Hot Wind’, which was covered by Sergio. It is also the first ever track that Will.i.am declared to had sampled as a kid, when he was just 14.

The next track, ‘Berimbau/Consolacao’, is a definite accomplishment, with Stevie Wonder’s eloquent harmonica waves coating the reminiscent feel of Brazil instrumented by Sergio. Following, is ‘The Frog’, a nice little number of Sergio’s riff with the wit of Q-Tip and Will.i.am’s rap. ‘Surfboard’ is not as convincing, but the list goes on with cuts such as, ‘Please Baby Don’t’, written and sung by John Legend and capturing the sensuality of Brazil; or the dignified, ‘Loose Ends’, co-written and contributed by Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch and of course, Will.i.am. Not forgetting the suave title track with India.Arie, simply bringing “kindness” to your ears. In all, ‘Timeless’ aspires to rife the reunion of Brazilian and American urban cultures.

With all these guest stars, Sergio Mendes’ harmonious and instrumental flair still manages to shine through out the whole venture and expresses a firm liberation and appreciation of music. However, even though Sergio has over 35 albums under his belt, it was eight years since his last album and 20 years since his last big hit. Consequently, should there be more space on this kind of album for Sergio himself, to display his talents in full? Perhaps. And perhaps, Will.i.am could have taken a bit more of a humble approach when it came to leaving his own trademark on this project; but, as he states, “This alum has been 14 years in the making”, and seeing as this was a dream come true to him, maybe he just couldn’t help himself. On the other hand - like it or not, his stimulating musical innovation and intuition, made this album that more possible.

One thing is for sure, as with all commencing changes, there are always mixed opinions, and this album may well be a notable addition for all the collectors out there, to mark the progressive transition of bringing the endless possibilities of musical endeavours to an open level.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Favourite Tracks:
11. Loose Ends (Feat. Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch and Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas
3. Berimbau/Consolacao (Feat. Stevie Wonder and Gracinha Leporace)
9. Samba da Bencao (Feat. Marcelo D2)

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