Tanto Tempo

1	Samba da Benção 4:47
2	August Day Song 4:37
3	Tanto Tempo 3:01
4	Sem Contenção 3:10
5	Mais Feliz 4:17
6	Alguém 4:04
7	So Nice (Summer Samba) 3:32
8	Lonely 2:24
9	Bananeira 3:26
10	Samba E Amor 3:28
11	Close Your Eyes 4:14

Barnes & Noble

It's beautiful, it's smart, it's oh-so-sexy -- Tanto Tempo, the long overdue debut album from Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto is more than a CD, it's a lifestyle accessory. Perhaps the best update on classic bossa nova to emerge from the most recent generation of Brazilian artists, Tanto Tempo is equally informed by contemporary ambient grooves as it is by Gilberto's impeccable pedigree. She's the daughter of bossa nova's architect, the guitarist João Gilberto, and the niece of Brazilian music's poet laureate, Chico Buarque, and has been performing for most of her life. But by making a break with Brazil (she's lived for the last decade in New York and London), Gilberto's exposed herself to all manner of innovative talent, including Arto Lindsay, Towa Tei of Deee-lite, and D.C. DJs Thievery Corporation. Tanto Tempo retains bossa nova's cool detachment and subtle grace, even as its layered arrangements evoke the dreamlike languor of nightclub chill rooms. Whether she's singing in English or Portuguese, Bebel's intimate phrasing needs no real translation -- recalling her father's laconic way with a melody, she says plenty with inflection alone. Rounding out a collection of classic bossas and original material are performances from veterans (João Donato and Buarque) and new talent (the late DJ Suba, who produced and contributes guitar and percussion throughout). Tanto Tempo delivers a perfect dichotomy -- like a cool drink on a sun-drenched beach. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

After working with artists like Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, and Towa Tei, Bebel Gilberto made her solo recording debut in the U.S. with Tanto Tempo, licensed for American release in 2000 by Six Degrees. It's an album of stylish, cool, contemporary bossa nova, with Gilberto's vocals a bit more assured and polished than Astrud Gilberto's classic and similar recordings of the '60s. The tone is restrained and subdued, simmering over the low heat of quiet passion; the instrumentation is mostly acoustic, although there are some unobtrusively electronic dance-club sounds as well. Overall, Tanto Tempo is a terrific, promising way for Gilberto to make her first impression as a solo artist. Steve Huey