Sergio Mendes is Timeless

At one point in time, Sergio Mendes was considered the most famous Brazilian in the world. Now, he’s counting on the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.Am to bring his sound back into the mainstream. Mendes’ peak was in the early ‘70s, a time long before most people I know were even born. It may seems a little strange that he’s paring up with Will.i.Am until you realize that Mendes hasn’t put out a record since 1996 and is trying to pull a Santana to revitalize his career. And thanks to Will.i.Am’s connections, Mendes gets a pretty impressive guest list, including Justin Timberlake, India.Arie, and Stevie Wonder.

Timeless begins with a remake of one of Mendes’ most famous songs, “Mas Que Nada,” which actually is a remake itself. The Black Eyed Peas guest on this song, and while Will.i.Am isn’t the most talented rapper around (well at all, really), he knows how to infuse some hip hop into this classic samba song to make it something new and catchy. It’s a song that gets stuck in your head and makes you want to samba. That being said, I think the original version is better and worth tracking down.

The best guest on this album is Stevie Wonder. Arguably the most talented extra here, the remake of “Berimbau/Consolacao” is a really great song. It’s one of the few songs on this album that stays closer to samba than hip hop. It’s not surprising that this song worked out so well – these are two very talented musicians who have lasted through the years and have had time to hone their craft. I also liked Mendes' duet with Marcelo D2 (“Samba da Bencao,” “Fo’-Hop”), a Brazilian rapper who has a better sense of how to fuse samba and hip hop than Will.i.Am.

For the most part, Will.i.Am does a better job of infusing himself into these songs than utilizing the other guests to their fullest potentials. Justin Timberlake’s guest vocals (“Loose Ends”) are not particularly memorable. And sadly, neither Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, nor India.Arie manages to stand out in their songs. Samba invokes a sitting-by-the-ocean feeling that lends itself to good beats and light, flitting vocals. These are three very talented singers, but none of their songs are particularly mesmerizing.

One particular standout on the album is John Legend’s “Please Baby Don’t.” Generally, John Legend’s jazzy, piano-infused soul reminds me of another era even without the addition of Sergio Mendes. This duet just reminds you that John Legend would’ve been equally comfortable making music in the ‘70s with Mendes in his heyday as he is right now.

One the whole, this is a pretty good CD. If nothing else, Will.i.Am could be credited with opening the ears of a slew of new listeners to Mendes’ music. Who knows, they might even be inspired to look deeper into Brazilian music and check out tropicalia. But that might be too much to hope for yet.