PRI's The World Chats With Bebel about All in One
New York born Brazilian artist Bebel Gilberto has released her sixth studio album All in One. A few tracks from the album were recorded and produced in Jamaica and the Island's tropical feel floats through out the album. The World's Marina Giovannelli takes a listen.
ALL IN ONE in the Huffington Post!
It seemed like the albums never stopped coming in 2009. Quality albums, life affirming albums--albums that reminded me why I decided to make music my life all those years ago, because music makes me: so many things. There is rarely a moment when music is not somewhere playing in my life, whether in the yoga studio teaching, on my numerous daily subway rides, or here, at my home office, typing the day away. And for those brief hours of silence each night, sleep offers a soundtrack all its own.
Bebel Gilberto--All In One (Verve)
Bebel Gilberto slipped into the American imagination with Tanto Tempo in 2000 and has refused to leave. The efforts that followed--Bebel Gilberto and Momento--felt like extensions of that North American debut; beautiful in their own right, and never without taste, yet safely embedded within the same paradigm. It's not surprising, given that she is the musical and genetic progeny of two great Brazilian singers. I wouldn't say that All In One, her Verve debut, points in a completely new direction. But it certainly surprises. Her music has always reached for the romantic in her listeners, a nuance continual in the global understanding of Brazilian sounds. This is quite a paradox considering the social and economic strife inherent in many of the country's urban areas. From the Brazilian musicians I've talked to over the years, it seems that the music is not only an "escape," which is what bossa nova has come to represent in certain circumstances; it is also a social and artistic balm that glues people together. This is a worldwide truism in music; it's just that certain artists really grab hold of one's creative faculties, pushing past the bounds of the everyday into a dream-like state--the visionary, the daydreamer. There is really no other way of describing Giblerto's sound, crediting equally her producers as her voice. The expectable Bebel tracks are present: airy odes like "Far From the Sea" and "Port Antonio." She tackles her father's domain with cuts like "Bim Bom" and "Chica Chica Boom Chic," songs that take you back forty years, before Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil slid electric guitars and political messages into the music. Things get more interesting when she tackles two giants and succeeds on both: Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder. Flipping "Sun Is Shining" into Portuguese and back into English was a smart move, adding a layer of sensuality to the bass-heavy midtempo track. Bob is sacred territory to many; previous accolades have meant death to a singer. Bebel handles it, along with everything else here, perfectly.
Bebel Gilberto slipped into the American imagination with Tanto Tempo in 2000 and has refused to leave. The efforts that followed--Bebel Gilberto and Momento--felt like extensions of that North American debut; beautiful in their own right, and never without taste, yet safely embedded within the same paradigm. It's not surprising, given that she is the musical and genetic progeny of two great Brazilian singers. I wouldn't say that All In One, her Verve debut, points in a completely new direction. But it certainly surprises. Her music has always reached for the romantic in her listeners, a nuance continual in the global understanding of Brazilian sounds. This is quite a paradox considering the social and economic strife inherent in many of the country's urban areas. From the Brazilian musicians I've talked to over the years, it seems that the music is not only an "escape," which is what bossa nova has come to represent in certain circumstances; it is also a social and artistic balm that glues people together. This is a worldwide truism in music; it's just that certain artists really grab hold of one's creative faculties, pushing past the bounds of the everyday into a dream-like state--the visionary, the daydreamer. There is really no other way of describing Giblerto's sound, crediting equally her producers as her voice. The expectable Bebel tracks are present: airy odes like "Far From the Sea" and "Port Antonio." She tackles her father's domain with cuts like "Bim Bom" and "Chica Chica Boom Chic," songs that take you back forty years, before Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil slid electric guitars and political messages into the music. Things get more interesting when she tackles two giants and succeeds on both: Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder. Flipping "Sun Is Shining" into Portuguese and back into English was a smart move, adding a layer of sensuality to the bass-heavy midtempo track. Bob is sacred territory to many; previous accolades have meant death to a singer. Bebel handles it, along with everything else here, perfectly.
ALL IN ONE is an AllMusic Favorite!
Through the week of the 20th, the AllMusic Blog will be publishing our editors’ favorite albums of 2009. We’ll be covering well over a dozen genres and styles, from rap to reggae, R&B to electronic, country to Latin, blues to metal, folk to soundtracks, and several points in-between. Right now, on the AllMusic Blog, we take a look at our favorite Latin albums of 2009. (Be sure to check our upcoming overall feature of new albums and classical releases, as well as our editors’ individualized lists of favorite albums and songs.)
Bebel heads to Australia in April!
When the stunning Bebel Gilberto was last in Australia back in 2007, she had audiences enraptured with her smooth vocal style and contemporary Brazilian beats and a couple of weeks ago Bluesfest organisers announced that the singer would be back in Australia to play their festival in Easter 2010. Gilberto is renowned for blurring somewhat disparate musical styles, taking cues from Brazilian, European and electronic pop sources and this is no more prevalent than on her most recent release, this year's All in One. Gilberto will play two very special sideshows when she is in the country next year, taking to the stage of Melbourne's Hamer Hall Wednesday 7 April and Sydney's Enmore Theatre Thursday 8 April. Tickets are on sale now.
Billboard's Best of the 2000's
The end of the decade is drawing near, and Billboard has released it's "Best of the 2000s" lists.
Bebel has been named #6 for the top World Artists! & #11 for Best World Album! What an honor!
The Bay Area Examiner reviews Bebel's San Francisco Show, Dec 10
Bebel Gilberto charms in saucy Bimbo's show
December 11, 1:06 PM
Bay Area Jazz ExaminerDavid Becker
It was wet and frigid outside, but there was an unmistakable breeze from Rio de Janerio wafting through the air once you got inside Bimbo's on Thursday night.
That was courtesy of tropical chanteuse Bebel Gilberto, daughter of legendary tunesmith Joao Gilberto and a musical sensation in her own right. Performing with a well-oiled backing band, Gilberto served up a hypnotic 90 minutes worth of tunes that blended bossa nova sensuality with techno-fied beats.
Especially live, the most striking aspect of Gilberto's music is its sunny optimism. Veering between breezy celebration and irresistible sensuality, the songs make no allowance for even the possibility of negative emotion.
Gilberto came across as a natural performer -- no surprise given that she made her performing debut with Stan Getz when she 7 and has since gone on to collaborate with everyone from Brazilian traditionalist Caetano Veloso to noise rock pioneer and former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton.
The singer concentrated on material from her new album, "All in One," showing a facility with English lyrics and lighthearted sensibility that never neglects musical precision. It's no small accomplishment to leave several hundred people humming "Chica Chica Boom Chic" as they re-enter the winter chill of reality.
Tonight in San Francisco, Bebel plays Bimbo's as the final stop on her North American tour
AGANJU IN LOVE: Tonight enjoy a bit of romance with Bebel Gilberto, the Brazilian songstress known for her adventurous fusion of Brazilian, European, and electronic styles. Her new album, All In One, is inspired by her love for her fiance. Listen to her at Bimbo's at 8pm and maybe the passion will rub off on you.
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