The Bottom Line
Pros
- Succeeds at times in updating Sergo Mendes' classic Latin-lounge sound.
Cons
- Rapper will.i.am takes up far too much of the spotlight.
- Will's production obscures much of Mendes' contributions.
- Some of these covers are questionable ideas at best.
Description
- Solo
- Modern pop
- Guests: will.i.am, india.arie., Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott
Guide Review - Sergio Mendes: Timeless
So it's only fitting Sergio would make a Supernatural-style bid for young ears. Original Mendes fans may well scratch their heads at names like John Legend, india.arie and Pharoahe Monch, but the real problem here is badly-overexposed Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am, who produced this album and raps over half the tracks. There are just too many times when Sergio's keys seem like an afterthought; the mix works better when vocalists like Legend and Justin Timberlake (who contributes a decent anti-war song here in "Loose Ends") compliment Sergio's sound instead of running rampant over it. And since will isn't even that accomplished a rapper, it's hard to see how either market could be satisfied by Timeless. Especially when it seems ashamed to give even a lungful of air to revisited Brazil classics like "Mais Que Nada." Alibis, indeed.





