About this CD
- Release date: June 10, 2008
- Label: Concord
- Catalog number: 30278
- Produced by Sergio Mendes, will.i.am
- Musicians: Sergio Mendes: synthesizer, piano, vocals, background vocals, clavinet, fender rhodes; Natalie Cole, Fergie, Siedah Garrett, Lani Hall, Carlinhos Brown, Bill Cantos, Gracinha Leporace, will.i.am, Vanessa da Mata: vocals; Herb Alpert: trumpet; Justo Almario: flute; Toninho Horta: acoustic guitar, guitar; Till Brönner: flugelhorn; Carlinhos Brown: acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals; João Donato: fender rhodes; Kleber Jorge: acoustic guitar, cavaquinho; Vitor Farias: cavaquinho; Paul Jackson Jr.: acoustic guitar, guitar, electric guitar; Alphonso Johnson, Liminha: bass; Mike Shapiro: drums, percussion; Gordinho, Ivo Meirelles, Meia Noite, Marcos Esguleba , Jaguara, Jorge Gomes, Pretinho DaSerrinha, Pedro Bernardes: percussion; Bill Cantos, Mikael Mutti, Telma Tavares, Clóvis Pê, Angela Sol: background vocals
- Arrangements by Sergio Mendes, will.i.am, Toninho Horta, Carlinhos Brown, João Donato
- Vocal arrangements by Bill Cantos
- Engineered by Paul Erickson, Victor Farias, Mike Tacci, Doug Tyo, Darius Fong
- Vocal recording: Vitor Farias, Bill Schnee, Doug Tyo
- Art direction: Roland Young, Todd Gallopo
- Spanish translation: Asdrubal Sierra
- Grooming: Riku Campo
- Mastered by Bernie Grundman
- Executive Producer: John Burk
Pros
- will.i.am takes a back seat to Sergio himself this time, which happily lets the master assemble his own Latin-jazz album for the dance floor.
- With one glaring exception, the guest stars are quite well-chosen, and hitting on all cylinders.
Cons
- Even the best of these tracks have trouble really letting loose emotionally, and although smooth cool has always been Sergio's selling point, this wannabe modern Latin album could use a little fire.
- Mendes sometimes almost fades into the background on his own cuts, which wouldn't be a problem if he always had a compelling singer to fall back on.
My review
Remember, it was Sergio who made Latin lounge hip in the first place, so it's pointless (and unfair) to judge him by too purist a yardstick. But slick as it is, Encanto translates slightly sultry Latin jazz quite well to the dance floor, and the surprises are pure pleasure: Natalie Cole turns in her best performance in years, perhaps decades, with "Somewhere In The Hills" 9one of four, count 'em, four Antonio Carlos Jobim standards updated on this CD); "Waters of March," featuring R&B relative newcomer Ledisi, which, like the best jazz, manages to be breezy and deep at once; "Dreamer," a first-ever summit meeting between Sergio and fellow genre master Herb Alpert; and Mendes' long-awaited reunion with "Fool On The Hill" vocalist (and Alpert spouse) Lani Hall. And the true international flavors -- including Italian rapper Jovanotti and fellow Brazilian superstar Carlinhos Brown -- are rich indeed.
