Astrud Gilberto Music

An inexpensive way to sample a wide variety of Joao Gilberto's and his ex-wife, Astrud's earliest recordings. Especially nice as a gift for someone who has not "met" them yet. (Who would that be?) Nice compilation selection. Fun to hear these songs out of their regular recorded setting. Good if you can find it.

This is not an easy album to review. Astrud was famous as the bossa nova queen from Brazil but this album is different. The tracks on this album are psychedelic pop from the lated 60's. The cut, "Beginnings", is an excellent arrangement with some jazz improvising going on by Airto. However, many of the arrangements of these 60's songs are strangely cheesy but captivating. There are some fine jazz musicians on this album that somehow elevate this pop music to higher level. Airto and Toots Thielemans are just two that I can think of off hand. "Love Is Stronger Far Than We" is one of those sweet but schlocky arrangements that works incredibly well. Astrud's unusual and somewhat quaverly voice comes off as being sweet and vulnerable. It all works but I can't say exactly how. This is a must-have album because of its unusual niche in music history. This is a very good CD. You'll enjoy it. Buy it before it disappears.

Unlike the other reviewer (see The Kid's review) I think her best album is the one with Stanley Turrentine. That works on every level. Here Astrud trying to sing soft rock is a challenge because I don't feel she is comfortable with both the musical style nor the lyrics. To sing rock is a completely different mind-set. You have to have some history with it to feel and know how to sing it. Therefore her attempt at some of the phrasing is not quite there. So why 4 stars? Because having said all that I find the album so warm and almost innocent that it is hard to resist. Again at odds with the other reviewer I think her best stuff on this is the songs from Let Go onwards. All those songs she sings beautifully and the arrangements are great. My only disappointment is when she goes from french to english on for instance Love Is Stronger...... (my favourite). The song starts off so seductively. I've had this on vinyl for years and copied it to cassette to listen to in my car. On a cold windy rainy day driving around listening to her sing that first verse in french was so beautiful, it created a warmth in the car that wasn't there before. When she crosses to english the warmth was/is still there but each time I listen I wish she hadn't switched to english. Same with Let Go. Her cover of Let's Have The Morning After is another highlight. I love Chicago's first album and so I'm very familiar with Beginnings. I like the way the song has been adapted to her roots without losing the feel of the original. I don't feel that works all that well with the next 3 songs but thanks to Astrud's artistry and softness they are always very listenable.

'September 17, 1969' surged out of Gilberto's catalog just as the decade was drawing to a close. In my opinion, it represents her last great work. 'I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do' (1970), 'Gilberto With Stanley Turrentine' (1971) and 'Now' (1972) were all decent, but then from 1973 onward, her nosedive was painfully evident. Next came the strange disco-themed 'That Girl From Ipanema' (1977), and the okay 'James Last Orchestra' (1987). The heavenly New-Age-inspired 'Temperance' (1997) is the closest she's come to an exciting record since, and although 'Jungle' (2002) is nice too, neither that, nor any of her albums after the '60s have thrilled me in the same way.

'September 17, 1969' is like a weird melting pot of different pop songs fused into a warm, vibrant, unpredictable quilt of music and voice. Even if Astrud's vocals are not 100% good, she still makes her interpretations work somehow. 'Let Go,' 'Beginnings,' and 'Summer Sweet 1 & 2' are some of the numerous highlights (especially 'Beginnings,' with its closing samples of other songs on the LP!) And one can't forget her cover of The Doors's 'Light My Fire,' a slow, wispy rendition that saves you from some of the less interesting slow songs on the second half of the album; it's a version that's both funny and creepy at the same time. Kind of like this whole album. It's a keeper!