Sergio Mendes: Timeless

Fans of the Black Eyed Peas may enjoy this as an extension of their hit "Sexy," which Mendes played on, but original Mendes fans -- and some discriminating hip-hop and modern pop aficionados -- may find that these collaborations work better on paper.

When it comes to modern "comeback" albums, there are two established formulas: the stripped-down singer-songwriter album, and the superstar summits crafted for masters of the groove. Sergio Mendes is of course in the latter category: with Brazil '66, he helped bring Latin pop into bachelor pads and housewives' stereos alike with versions of Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love" and the Beatles' "The Fool On The Hill." In fact, it's the pianist/arranger/producer's ability to mix genres that got him this far, though he's been behind Carlos Santana's curve since -- when Carlos declared that he was "Winning," Mendes pulled out his "Alibis." Remember?

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.