Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of famed Brazilian performers João Gilberto and Miúcha, and has recorded with David Byrne, Amon Tobin and other Brazilian musicians like Caetano Veloso and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Her impressive connections to the heart of modern Brazilian pop might suggest her own music should follow in a direction akin to her father's seminal bossa nova or the tropicalia popularized by Veloso in the 70s. To her credit, Gilberto has usually opted for a more modern approach, incorporating electronics and sly IDM touches into her music, especially notable on her pairing with former Deee-Lite DJ Towa Tei on the 1995 track "Technova (La Em Copacabana)".
Along these lines, Bebel Gilberto isn't so much a continuation of the singer's esteemed musical lineage as a consistently pleasant affair reminiscent of similarly warm efforts by Björk. Its melodies float atop bossa-tinged arrangements unobtrusively, as if the songs weren't necessarily meant to catch your ear so much as caress your cheek. There are subtle electronic flourishes throughout (courtesy of frequent Björk producers Marius DeVries and Guy Sigsworth)-- though nothing as distinctive as Amon Tobin's work on Gilberto's 2000 solo debut Tanto Tempo-- and the delicate strings conducted by another Björk-collaborator Gavyn Wright betray the disc's affiliations with easy listening music. Of course, this hardly precludes enjoying the best moments-- after all, congeniality isn't a crime.
"Simplesmente" ("Simply") takes a facile, but alluring chord progression that allows Gilberto to coo in English and Brazilian, using melodies that don't veer beyond her modest range, yet never seeming meandering or repetitive. Her voice is eerily reminiscent of Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell, and this song could have appeared on any of that group's albums from Good Humour onwards. Likewise, the midtempo, lightly funky "Cada Beijo" ("Each Kiss") sounds like an outtake from Björk's Homogenic, right down to its mysterious textures of bells, strings and flutes. Gilberto is hardly as distinctive a vocalist as the Icelandic diva, but in a way, that makes her music less convoluted. When her songs stick to her strengths (easy, flowing melodies and ability to use her voice as ambient counterpoint, gliding in the background of her arrangements), they can be richly rewarding, even moving.
Still, Gilberto has a tendency to run her strengths into the ground on occasion. "All Around" could have been an attractive update on her father's streamlined bossa nova at three minutes, but at almost five, it seems a tad indulgent. "Aganju", like "Cada Beijo", again brings to mind Homogenic-era Björk, and even adds some spacey reverb to the singer's voice that lends the song a dreamy quality. Yet, at a point, "dreamy" becomes "tedious," especially during a lengthy vamp at the end. Bebel Gilberto will not likely turn Gilberto's fans off, but often runs the risk of losing their attention.
