Joćo Voz e Violćo

1	Desde Que O Samba Samba 3:54
2	Vocź Vai Ver 2:56
3	Eclipse 3:04
4	Nao Vou Pra Casa 2:56
5	Desafinado 3:27
6	Eu Vim Da Bahia 2:34
7	Coraēćo Vagabundo 2:08
8	Da Cor Do Pecado 2:29
9	Segredo 3:15
10	Chega de Saudade 3:25

Barnes & Noble

"Better than silence," Caetano Veloso famously opined. "There's only João." The man who defined bossa nova alongside his wife, Astrud, Tom Jobim, and Stan Getz, João Gilberto is a guitarist and vocalist with a style so intimate that it fairly defies the threshhold of audibilty. But listen up, because João's first studio record in years will make you feel as though you are seated at the maestro's feet. Produced by longtime fan Veloso, JOÃO VOZ E VIOLÃO is classic João: guitar, voice, and 30 years of bossa nova musings. The musician may have not changed, but his song selections have. Aside from classics "Chega de Saudade" and "Desafinado," Gilberto performs MPB favorites such as Veloso's "Coração Vagabundo" and "Desde que o Samba e Samba" and Gilberto Gil's "Eu Vim da Bahia." Gilberto's artistry at this point is so total that his vocal murmurs and unmatched right-hand rhythms make each song blend into one another like the sun sinking into the ocean. Despite its starkness, JOÃO VOZ E VIOLÃO sounds much like many of Gilberto's records; the refinement of music like this is merely one of degree. Newcomers will be bowled over by the naked rhythm and sheer musicality of JOÃO VOZ E VIOLÃO; old-school Gilberto fans may find it one more perfect Gilberto record to confuse with the others. But happily so. Kevin Giordano

All Music Guide

Much to the regret of his fans, Joćo Gilberto did little recording in the 1990s. But he makes a triumphant return to the studio with his 2000 release Joćo Voz e Violćo, the bossa nova icon's first album since 1992's Joćo. This time, Gilberto doesn't do anything slick; there are no keyboards or strings, and he steers clear of overdubbing. Gilberto, in fact, has no band; he accompanies himself on acoustic guitar, singing and playing in real time and keeping things delightfully intimate. While the CD isn't overly ambitious, Joćo Voz e Violćo isn't the predictable affair that it could have easily become. It isn't hard to envision an A&R guy urging him to record an album of nothing but Antonio Carlos Jobim and bossa nova standards that have been done to death over the years, but Gilberto, to his credit, doesn't inundate listeners with obvious choices. Yes, he revisits "Chega de Saudade" and "Desafinado," but he also turns his attention to Brazilian composers who range from Caetano Veloso ("Caracćo Vagabundo") and Gilberto Gil ("Eu Vim da Bahia") to Ernesto Lecuona ("Eclipse") and Bororó ("Da Cor do Pecado"). Gilberto turned 68 in June 1999, and on Joćo Voz e Violćo, his delicate, caressing voice continues to hold up nicely. Produced by Caetano Veloso, this CD is a welcome addition to Gilberto's catalog. Alex Henderson