With A Little Help From My Friends/Roda/Like A Lover/The Frog/Tristeza/The Look Of Love/Pradizer Adeus/ Batucada/So Many Stars/Look Around
Jazzy lounge bossa nova was immensely popular with adult audiences in the late 1960s. One of the most successful exponents was Sergio Mendes, as demonstrated by his Look Around LP which includes the US No. 4 hit The Look Of Love. (US:5)
"If you like bossa nova and Brazilian jazz, played at a more loungy style, with soft vocals, with light accents, then this is for you. If you are a hipster with style, class and like the retro styles then this is for you. This is beautiful, timeless, slightly campy and kitschy bossa nova space age pop and jazz from the 60s."
"Look Around was recorded during a time when musicians and composers were keen on experimenting with new sounds, rhythms and ideas. They had at their disposal a receptacle in top 40 radio that had not yet been completely taken over by marketing geniuses determined to narrow music into 'focus group' packages so that they could sell more car insurance to the selected demographic. Although brief by today's standards, there is truly not a bad cut on the album. Some of the selections might seem borderline schmaltzy to the uninitiated, but a careful listen with uncover a wealth of timeless treasures."
"What makes Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 so likable, makes not liking them almost perverse, is they could take virtually any material, add a Latin spice, a supernatural sense of melody, and make them sound both utterly hip and utterly embracing."
"Sunny, poppy, not too sugary, bossa beats. It's the spot-on female chorus that makes this easy-listening of the first order."
"You are transported to Rio De Janeiro, the warm tropical breezes, heavenly scents of coconut and guava, the sweet air-heaven, in other words. This is music that makes your heart dance. (How much music, today, does that for you? I can't think of much). It's the winning combination of Lani Hall's lead vocals, the excellent percussion and the versatility in song styles that makes this album so special."
No comments:
Post a Comment