lambchops's Full Review: Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour by Astrud Gilberto
According to Merriam-Webster, Bossa Nova is defined as "popular music of Brazilian origin that is rhythmically related to the samba but with complex harmonies and improvised jazzlike passages." Prior to this year's ISYMIYSMY write-off in which I was paired with shopaholic_man I'd certainly heard of the Latin genre but I had little if any experience with it. My knowledge is still admittedly limited but the Finest Hour compilation from Astrud Gilberto is as fine a place to start as any.
Born in Brazil, Gilberto helped put the genre on the pop map. Her hit single The Girl From Ipanema peaked atop the Billboard charts and earned a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1964. The song cemented Gilberto's place in Bossa Nova (and jazz) history. She recorded for years but never again graced American charts. Over the years she has recorded lots of albums, most recently 2002's relatively well received Jungle. Since I have so little knowledge of the style and artist, there is no better place to start than a "best of" compilation. Finest Hour (Verve, 2001) brings together twenty of the singer's best songs in a range of styles--pop, jazz, samba, and bossa nova.
To think--Gilberto was a housewife when she first recorded The Girl From Ipanema in 1963.
In any case, Finest Hour is one in a collection of compilations from Verve that assembles a full sixty minutes of hits from a variety of artists like Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone and many others. To compare her voice to modern artists, I would have to say that her flat, disaffected voice is reminiscent of a mix of Beth Orton and Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian). This fact in and of itself should speak volumes. Gilberto like those two vocalists also is an acquired taste.
My lack of experience in the genre and with this artist makes it difficult for me to pull out songs I really like and to make comparisons aside from the vocals. That said, I can say that I am struck by the lovely quality of some of the songs. One other thing that must be said before I continue is that some songs are not in English. Listen to them for the style and grace rather than words (unless of course you understand what I assume is Portuguese). Gilberto certainly has a uniquely strange way with songs. I guess that's why she helped to revive a style that had gone far out of vogue by the mid 1960s.
My major complaint about Finest Hour is that the songs come across as one of two things--either background filler or elevator music. In either case they are definitely listenable but not always memorable. My favorite songs are obvious choices. The Girl From Ipanema is a shiny, upbeat song in which the singer is paired with her husband Joao Gilberto. That song along with the similarly happy and similarly paced So Nice (Samba de Verao) are definite standouts. I like the instrumentation (horns, percussion, etc.). That said I'm actually even more drawn to the familiar Meditation. It feels like a theatrical standard as performed by the songstress. I can think of no more evocative offering on this album.
Gilberto's listeners will be able to cull many more favorites but in all honesty I'm lost. I like what I hear but without any context I have problems digesting the material. I would be mistaken not to include a few other tracks among my favorites. In particular Berimbau, Trains and Boats and Planes (a Burt Bacharach song), Corcovado, and It Might as Well Be Spring (Rodgers and Hammerstein) all find a place in my heart. There really is a lot of variety here--a good thing for bossa nova virgins and Gilberto fans alike. I can easily listen to the album in whole. The problem I have is that it just fades into the background save for a few key moments noted above. I attribute this failure more to my lack of knowledge and appreciation than to the artist's lack of talent. She is certainly different and certainly lovely.
I doubt I've risen to the challenge posed by my partner. Astrud Gilberto sounds gorgeous but her musical style is way outside of my comfort level. I am always interested in music that doesn't fit neatly into one genre or another. Finest Hour demonstrates that bossa nova is much more than just a Brazilian phenomenon. It's jazz, it is pop, it is big band�€”it really is a little bit of everything all mixed up for good measure.
This has been my hollow excuse for an entry into MattA75's infamous annual I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours (ISYMIYSMY) write-off. Thanks for reading my entry and check out my partner shopaholic_man for his entry (http://www.epinions.com/content_232041975428).
Track Listing:
01. Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza)
02. The Girl From Ipanema
03. Meditation
04. The Face I Love
05. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)
06. So Nice (Samba de Verao)
07. A Felicidade
08. Photograph
09. It Might as Well Be Spring
10. Wish Me a Rainbow
11. Fly Me to the Moon
12. Crickets Sing for Anamaria
13. Who Needs Forever?
14. Insensatez
15. Berimbau
16. Come Softly to Me/Hushabye
17. Trains and Boats and Planes
18. Canto de Ossanha (Let Go)
19. I'm Nothin' Without You
20. In the Wee Small Hours
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