Two years ago, the legendary Sergio Mendes teamed up with Will.I.Am founder Black Eyed Peas to send Sergio’s music to a whole new audience. The resulting album, timeless, was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2006. The album mixed Sergio’s classic songs with modern artists. Now Sergio is back again with the collaboration album Encanto. Can Enchanto‘s legacy live up to Appreciable?
On Agua De Beber Sergio is joined again by Will.I.Am. The song features two short verses from Will.I.Am, but is really all about the quality musicianship of Sergio and his bands. In the song, the various band members are given solos to show off their musical chops.
Mars Water Damage. The song is just incredibly catchy and Ledisi adds a very strong vocal. The song captures all the magic of Sergio Mendes and adds a very accommodating vocalist to the mix.
Odo-Ya adds Carlinhos Brown to the mix with Sergio. It’s not the strongest song on the track although it’s still solid.
Y Vamos Ya (Let’s go); This is a more classical poem by Sergio Democritus. Juanes adds very strong vocals and fits with the flow of the whole song.
Tracks Dreamer features Herb Alpert and Lani Hall. The song is one of the better tracks on the album. The track features rich instrumentation and slow melodic vocals that only add to the song.
Funky Bahia Featuring Will.I.Am and Siedah Garrett with Sergio. The song is a happy little ballad and although it lacks substance, it is definitely a good song.
Somewhere in the hills (O Morro Nao Tem Vez) is one of the strongest tracks on the album. The vocalist on the track just captures the essence of Sergio Mendetis. The song is very catchy.
On Acode Sergio Mendes is joined by Vanessa Da Mata. The song is very interesting sounding and features elements from so many different genres of music.
Although Encanto is stellar, it is a lesser star than Sergio’s last album, Tempus. But fewer guest appearances add to the list to make it even more cohesive. Encanto is a very complete album. Encanto 8.5 out of 10. If you’re a fan of Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66, be sure to read Encanto when it hits stores later this year.
