Frenchy’s Fracas

• # - McCain/Palin: Is the timing of the news about the daughter’s pregnancy really coincidence or am I a bit of a cynic? No and yes.. #
• # - music: “When the leaves turn from green to brown, and autumn shades come tumbling down..” Oohh.. Julia by the Eurythmics.. Bloody brilliant! #
• # - music: just enjoyed a very beautiful reportage on the BBC about Lady Ella Fitzgerald. Think I’ll spend da next 5 years listening 2 her work! #
• # - web: very weird experience to follow a hurricane event using twitter: the news media has a 140chars additional source #
• # - web: bigThanks to @MarkMayhew, @GustavAlerts, @GustavReporting and others - the damage seems to be limited so far & that’s a blessing.. #

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General Description
Artist/Band: Sergio Mendes
Album Title: Timeless
Year: 2006

Absolute Brazil
 
How I Got Into This Music
My old man, it’s all his fault, the important part of my musical education is all his fault, thanks Alte! heheh..
Yep, my dad had some of the original albums of this influential Brazilian artist, Sergio Mendes. I just remember the incredible sounds coming from all different musical directions: latin, Brazilian, jazz, pop. And those lovely vocals.. just making me wish I was on a sunny island in the tropics.. Hold on, that’s where I was when I listened to this stuff, the lovely island of Curaçao ;o)
So, a coupla months back, I was eager to rediscover some of this music. Lucky me, this album just came out..

Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Lyrics of Timeless

Tracks that got my attention:
Mas Que Nada ft. The Black Eyed Peas
First things first.. I do not like the Black Eyed Peas, period. They’re talented and inventive musicians and performers, but.. it just doesn’t work for me, to the point that I just zap away whenever there’s a video of them on the tele. But.. this is Sergio Mendes, so.. Nobody can screw up Mas Que Nada, not even Will I Am

That Heat ft. Erykah Badu
Saw the video, had to listen to the album. Miss Badu gets way too little airplay on this track.

Berimbau/Consolacao ft. Stevie Wonder
Wow.. It’s been a long time since I heard Stevie Wonder on the harmonica (The Eurythmics’ track ‘There Must Be An Angel’ to be precise).. Sweet..
Also when the beat and the vocals follow up the intro: deeeeeeelicious!! Miss Gracinha Leporace does let you feel that Brazilian groove, and the Mendes piano gets you right between the ribs!

The Frog ft. Q-Tip
The Abstract from A Tribe Called Quest on a groovy track, kinda works, too bad about the other guy.. The keyboards are so laidback.

Let Me ft. Jill Scott
Power vocalist extreme, Jill Scott, doing the nice and sweet stuff, love it!

Surfboard ft. Will I Am
sigh.. Fair’s fair: this track rocks! Again I’m guessing it’s the piano doing the hard work.

Samba De Brenco ft. Marcelo D2
Sweet, soft and lazy with groove-ass lyrics (don’t understand most of it, but it just gels..)

Timeless ft. India Arie
Third songstress on this album, excellent selection of artists! India Arie’s voice so incredibly strong and warm..

Loose Ends ft. Justin Timberlake and Pharoahe Monch
Strong message, lovely song, and that guy Timberlake keeps surprising me: damn, his vocals are fine!

Conclusion
Almost every track that has got Will I Am gets on my nerves, it’s usually the other performers that make those tracks bearable, with special exception for Surfboard coz there it all works perfectly. Let’s be honest here, this guy worked his sweet fanny off to make this album, so credit to him for that
But that sure as hell ain’t enough for me: it’s the excellent performances by Jill Scott, India Arie, Justin Timberlake and last but not least the great man himself: Sergio Mendes. Great album to reintroduce a lot of people to classic Brazilian music. Great album for those sunny days at the beach!
Ooooooh.. He’s gonna be at North Sea Jazz Festival this summer!

3(you know why it’s not a 4..)/5

EDIT 11-JUN-2006: I just keep enjoying this album more and more, almost forgetting BEP are on it. Songs like Berimbau/Consolacao, Timeless and Loose Ends have almost permenantly been in my head for quite some weeks now. So.. I reckon I’ll have to change the points:

Rating: (when it’s good, it’s good..)

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General Description
Artist/Band: The Eurythmics
Album Title: Be Yourself Tonight
Year: 1985

Image from Musik-Tipps.com

How I Got Into This Music
For so many 30-somethings this band represents a certain positive quality of the eighties. For someone like me one of the first triggers was the video for “Love Is A Stranger”: a not so bad looking plastic blonde in the back of a luxurious car turning into an androgynous redhead can leave a lasting impression on a pubescent soul, heheh..
So after recovering from that initial shock I was convinced that I was experiencing something musically different: The Eurythmics. The combo of electronics and a bone-chilling voice perfectioned: Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox.

Tracks that got my attention
(well, all of them actually, but still..):

Would I Lie to You?
Favourite shower song (the disadvantages of honest blogging are becoming painfully clear, thank you very much..)
The energy is incredible - the great walking bass works like a devil corrupting an innocent soul. Vocals including backgrounds are just perfect: rock meets soul meets joy!
The video with the whole rock ‘n’ leather thing with the black girls in red - visual treat..

There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)
One of there biggest mainstream hits with Stevie Wonder on harmonica and the operatic bombast in the chorus: lovely..

I Love You Like a Ball and Chain
I love the fiery vocals on this so-so track!

Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves
The Original Diva: the great Aretha Franklin (put her in the middle of the Nevada Desert, unplugged, let her sing and people in San Francisco will be able to hear the beauty of an earthquake) joins Annie to sing the ultimate Girl Power song

Conditioned Soul
“Everybody’s kissing someone. Holding hands just to get some fun.”
“Everybody hurting someone. Stabbing back just to get some fun”.
One of my favorite songs ever, especially lyrics-wise!!! The music setting the eerie intro, Annie’s vocals bringing down a few city walls. Chills down my spine!

Adrian w Elvis Costello
Wordsmith Costello collaborates to make a great moody song

It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)
Another one big mainstream hit. I love the electronics on this track, proving again that you really can make soulful music with a bunch of keyboards. The double vocals also are fantastic: Annie Lennox’ voice is truely angelic

Here Comes That Sinking Feeling
One of my favorite “I’m feeling crappy, I’m hurt, bugger off” songs - enjoyment through identification of ones moods is so bittersweet..

Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)
Never ever enjoy listening this one: only auto-skip track on the album

Conclusion
I have a coupla recordings from this band, but this album, “Be Yourself Tonight”, is the one that leaves the most joyous of memories and it’s still an album I play when I need to.. well.. just breathe and feel my soul.
The vocals are great, lyrics are moody and soulful and the album’s very well produced: a mix of cold efficiency and well, a conditioned soulfullness (again). Oh yeah..

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