Tanto Tempo

I’ll again take issue with the notion that life is not worth living unless you’ve heard this album. Honestly, I could have heard it thirty times already in a dentist office and not even realized it. And that’s not necessarily an insult! As far as background lobby music goes, I thought this was really pleasant. Having a dinner party for your parents and all their friends? Now you know what to put on at a volume just loud enough to be heard but not intrude. And what a lovely name. Bebel Gilberto. I’ll be saying it in my dreams.

Shout out to the reviewer who thought this was French music, I hope life treats you well but that you never vote.

Weird french music

Stylish, cool, elegant, laid back bossa nova embraces modern production with electronic elements to create something beautifully dreamy and quietly glorious.

Is this progressive samba? whatever it is it’s fucking glorious - 10/10

The first thing I learned about Bebel Gilberto is that she's the daughter of bossa nova pioneer, Joao Gilberto. Joao was heralded as the father of bossa nova, which would make Bebel either its sister, or the genre incarnate. Either way, it's in her blood... and 2000's "Tanto Tempo" proves it track by track.   Raised on bossa nova music her entire life (naturally), Bebel Gilberto had been releasing music for fourteen years by the time "Tanto Tempo" rolled around. It was her third full-length studio album, and saw her become one of the biggest selling Brazilian artists of the 20th century. Despite this, it's extremely difficult to find online in the UK, and I've had to resort to listening to a cover of "Alguem" because there's no trace of it. If I ever finish the rest of the 1001 list, my final regret will be never hearing the original "Alguem". If you're reading this, HELP! "Tanto Tempo" is often billed as bossa-nova meets electronica, but on first listen the electronic elements are scarcely noticeable. At best, they contribute really well to the ambience: some whooshing, whistling synths turn "Mais Feliz" into an elegant beguiling soundscape. A couple of programmed drum beats crop up here and there, but they're subtle enough to not detract from the bossa nova feel. They've just allowed critics ever since to contextualise "Tanto Tempo" vaguely within trip-hop and downtempo. Instead, "Samba de Bencao" typifies the sound of the album: bossa nova guitar rhythm, whispering saxophone and twinkling vibraphone, percussion barely kept above brushes on the snare. There are no crescendos so much as waves gently breaking on the shore. Tying it all together is Gilberto's vocal: velveteen smooth, intimate and casual. Over the course of the album, she slips between Portugese and English (singing both beautifully, but hearing the lyrics in English somehow diluted the album's beauty. Imagine if, instead of birdsong, we heard their actual calls to one another of "Ey up! I done a shit! Fancy a shag and some worms?" Not as lyrical, is it? Anyway, that's my problem, certainly not Bebel's). Once the mood is established in "Samba de Bencao", it remains much the same across the rest of the album- sedate, sultry and smooth- until we reach a couple of surprises. First, "Sem Contencao" livens things up with a light samba, retaining the same instrumentation while upping the tempo a little. I appreciated the change in tempo, but on the whole this didn't quite work for me: too breezy to be exciting, but too energetic to be blissful. Later, "Bananeira" and "Close Your Eyes" are two shocks coming at the eleventh hour: out-and-out drum beats, a full brass section, lively samba. These feel as though they shouldn't work, particularly when the soporific, skeletal "Samba e Amor" sits between them. But, while bossa nova purists may well balk at it, against the odds I found myself grooving away contentedly.  "Tanto Tempo" is not something I'm likely to revisit often (mainly because it's so bloody hard to find), but it's been a relaxing Friday afternoon listening to bossa nova incarnate. And western pop fans rejoice: "So Nice (Summer Samba)" was also covered by Baby Spice herself, Emma Bunton. Hurrah!

Listened to this album many many times in grad school. It was a great melding of the bossa nova sound with modern production and some electronic elements. I had no problem giving it another listen and realized I had missed it.

Pleasant, samba-flavoured jazz-lite. I like her voice, but this is hardly the most inspired album. Is it significantly different from other samba albums from the previous four decades? Why did they choose THIS album? It doesn't really have anything to particularly recommend it, other than some occasional Portishead-like loops and synths. Soporific. Except Bananeria. I like that song, although exactly why we need another cover of this song from 1975, I don't know. Did not hate, but seems like a pointless inclusion on this list.

Fantastic album. I really enjoyed this. I'm thankful for this type of music The generator threw me a solid today. 5 stars all day for me.

Im not used to this style, but i loved it

This would be perfect in some cafe or similar as background music. Completely inoffensive, nice voice, flows along. So much so that Spotify had moved onto 3 similar artists before I noticed the change. Certainly not worth dying of smoke inhalation over 2

Great music, enjoyed it while on a long drive.

Like me some Spanish music

Bostil... Meu bostil bostileiro... 🐒🐒🐒🐒

Suba, the producer of this smooth, cool, down tempo album died while saving the newly recorded album from a studio fire!!! I mean, I love it, it's sumptuous and sexy but I wouldn't risk my life for it.

Very beautiful abd the instrumentation sounds so damn crisp!!!

This album is definitely a product of its time. In the early 2000s, there was a big trend of hip hop and electronic producers doing downtempo, acid jazz, and trip hop reinterpretations of classic jazz. This album came out right at the peak of that era, but instead of remixes, it’s built around original songs that are deeply rooted in classic bossa nova.

Didn't know a thing about this album or artist, yet I would listen again.

I like this

Instant sophistication as low background music at your cocktail party.

wow. This is music that doesn't just play in the background—it creates a mood that lingers long after the final note. Whether it's early morning, afternoon or late at night, her soothing voice and subtle arrangements are a treat for my ears and emotions.

Amazing bossa nova

Excellent

Great!

Love impromptu trips to Brazil. Haven’t seen Joao on here yet

I loved this!!! it’s not hard to sell me on bossa nova but I’ve never heard anything of that genre from as recent as 2000 so this was a nice spin on the classic sound. There was a lot of variety that reflected the genres that had developed since bossa nova’s 60s boom, like funk and contemporary smooth jazz sounds which was interesting too, although I still gravitated towards the more classic sounds. Fav tracks: Samba Da Bencao, August Day Song, Tanto Tempo, Samba E Amor, Close Your Eyes

This shit is chill man… really deep production and had me vibing all the way through

Very nice. Loved the mix of Latin and breakbeat, while still keeping it light and romantic.

Interesting and quite enchanting.

Relaxing and chill to listen to! That's it. Doesn't have to be more than that, to be honest.

Unless it is already playing on the dance floor or in my pretend cabana in Brazil, I’d never choose to listen

BRASIL 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll easily bump up to a 5. Sometimes you just catch a vibe, you know? This definitely caught a vibe for me; it’s bossa nova updated with some of the ambient, trip-hop sensibilities of the 1990s, with occasional hints of jazz fusion & big band in there. It’s a great fit, at least in the way it’s done on this album. Unlike the Gotan Project album we got back in September, this album feels a lot more subtle about infusing its extra instrumentation, more akin to how a 90s remixer might take on a 60s album instead of making something that feels different & new. It never overwhelms the bossa nova / jazz base that each track is built on, and only enhances it in a way that feels pretty contemporary for 2000. Suba, the producer for this album, died due to smoke complications after successfully recovering this album from a fire. He has an album on this list, “Sao Paulo Confessions”, which we’ll get later on down the line, and I really hope that album retains a lot of the style he set forth here. He did a damn good job. Bebel Gilberto certainly carried on her father’s legacy here; her vocals are really good on this album, and remarkably calming too. A track like “Mais Feliz” reminded me a little bit of Janet Jackson’s slower songs, and that’s a really positive comparison in my book. When she enters her faster, rap-influenced tempos, she glides on it all the same, especially so on “Bananeira”, which might be the highlight of the album. Her English vocals are really nice too; “So Nice (Summer Samba)”, besides showing me that Nintendo blatantly ripped off the melody for the track for StreetPass on the 3DS, showed me that she has sort of a natural Sinatra-y swinger voice to her, and one that could totally do a duet with anyone. I feel like I need to check out more of her stuff beyond this, especially any collaborations. So, why the 4.5 if I enjoyed this so much? The only nagging issue I have with this album is that most of the tracks loop halfway through, or simply repeat lyricism in a way that makes each track just feel a little bit unfinished. They’re clearly not, and it’s intentionally done. I don’t mind it, but it is something that feels more & more noticeable as the album goes on – really, this could have been easily fixed if they had just written a few more lyrics to make the loops feel less noticeable, or tweaked some of the instrumentals appropriately so that they could disguise it with a better sense of progression. It’s not a big enough deal for me to bump this down to a 4 though; it’s an easy bump up to a 5, and ultimately, just a deeply relaxing (whilst energetic) bossa nova album. I can easily hear how this crossed over into mainstream appeal (apparently over 1 million copies sold worldwide by 2004), and I’m glad it’s here on the list. Pretty damn good stuff.

So ein schöner tempowechsel, ich wusste nicht, dass Joao Gilberto eine so talentierte Tochter hat.

Incredibly chill and relaxing, save for the tracks at the start that were so damn energetic I could barely keep up with everything happening. Will definitely give another listen!

Deep sounds of blissful exotic romance.

I didn’t understand most of the words on this album but it didn’t matter! This was a lovely album. Perfect for a summer evening out on the porch. Super chill and relaxing music:

Tanto Tempo Is there any other way than breezy to describe this sort of album? I don’t think there is, because it is breezy - gently swaying bossa nova rhythms and instrumentation with hushed and laid back vocals, evoking evenings strolling along beaches with pastel v necks slung nonchalantly across shoulders, the gentle lapping of the waves getting your rolled up linen trousers wet. I’m not so into bossa nova that I can differentiate it greatly from other albums in the genre, but I do like it. However I don’t find the tracks where it combines electronic elements with the core sound that interesting as on Alguem or the bonus track No Return, or when it deviates into insipid funk on Bananeira or when it lands on something like the uncomfortably upbeat Close Your Eyes. The more straightforward songs like the opening 4 songs of Samba de Bencao, August Day Song, the title track and Sem Contecao or Son Nice or Samba e Amor I find are far more engaging. For an album and genre that trades on lightness of touch, it is also a bit long at 45 mins. 30 minutes would probably feel like the right length for something like this to skip along amiably and end before it gets too cloying. It is very easy going, and very listenable, if not the most heavyweight of albums - making it the most three-est of threes. 🕰️🕰️🕰️ Playlist submission: Tanto Tempo

pleasant enough [EDIT: upgraded as I was in the mood to appreciate something light and groovy]

Soothing to listen to, like a cozy wrap-around heated blanket set on medium.

This album was never not pleasant but it was also never more than background music.

Far exceeded my preliminary album-cover-based expectations. Fans of Stereolab should find something to like on this record.

Pleasant

This is like jazz or something. Samba? Is that a genre? Mexican restaurant music? I’m not one to judge something like this. Even my expertise has its limits. Sure for its genre I’m sure it’s a nice sounding, well done record. Me, I don’t hear anything worth repeating but again, that’s unfair. It belongs with what labels I threw out at the beginning on my written response. There’s a need for music like this, just not any of my needs. I’m going back to listening to 616.

ugh the best bossa nova is dynamic and romantic. but it, because of the genre conventions, must be subtle. the greats, like Bebel Gilberto's father, take great care to make something beautiful and emotionally complex. but far too often the essence is diluted and you get muzak. this has that y2k electronic flair (this list loves the frictionless downtempo sound of this era), which i suppose is better than the early 60s pop that would artlessly chunk in bossa nova gestures. but still. not really interesting. pass. deserves to be one of the 1001? i take umbrage with this being here instead of any of Joao Gilberto's solo work. truthfully the Brazilian music selection on this list is nonsensical. Acabou Chorare is absent. what's goin on?

a nice safe samba album ..there must be more than 1001 better than this

i went to extraordinary lengths to pirate, upload and listen to this mediocre record, terrible all over it sounds nice, pretty, and all over nothing really happens. this can be made to happen in a glorious way, which it almost does, but does not. they should have put 'mundo civilizado' by arto lindsay on the list instead

Does every musician in Brazil have the last name Gilberto? Anyways - you hear one bossanova record you hear them all.

I won't always be in the mood for this, but for the times when I will be, it's perfect.

Astrud Gilberto... oh boy. Her music relaxed me. Helped me regain a connection to my body, to wherever I was. Which was often in my dorm room in the Arts House, at Tufts. I came across her recordings in the stacks at WMFO, where I had the privilege of being a DJ for a semester, alongside lifetime friend Daniel, who has been a DJ since those early days, in NYC. Astrud's music was a little kawaii, a little funky, a little smoky. I listened to her contemporary, composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, much more regularly... the bossa nova they shared felt like a vision of adulthood that was strong, supple, and pleasurable. A vision I liked much better than the cheese of the Tijuana Brass Band (one of my parents' 25 record albums at home). Bebel has a beautiful voice, and I'm grateful to her for keeping the musical tradition of her parents alive on this record. I'm giving it a 5 for my relation to that tradition.

Masterpiece

Bossa nova mixed with trip-hop with a hint of city pop. Fucking phenomenal album, the best one I've got that I hadn't heard before.

BRAZIL MENTIONED I confess I had never listen to anything from the daughter of the legendary João Gilberto, so I was taken by surprise. I read someone's comment saying "is this progressive samba?" and I simply couldn't find a better term. 5 stars.

Never knowingly listened to bossa nova before. I recognised the style — that gentle, warm, rhythmic thing — but didn't have a name for it. Two songs in I already loved it. Tanto Tempo is the perfect warm evening album. Garden, beach, someone you'd like to spend time with. Romantic without being sentimental, calm without being boring. Bebel Gilberto's voice sits exactly where it needs to — unhurried, close, like it's not trying to impress anyone. It turns out bossa nova is Portuguese. Brazilian Portuguese. I didn't know that either. Everything about this album felt like a small discovery. 4.5/5 — filed under 5. New favourite genre.

loved this!

Definite boat playlist

Bien.

this is why I started wading through this list. loved the sound, fantastic vocals, & enjoyed the Portuguese

I really enjoyed it :)

I knew I like Bossa Nova, but I didn’t realize I could like it this much

I've been listening to Os Mutantes and other tropicalia recently so I was entirely in the mood for this - but also how can you not get drawn into her intoxicating spell?

wow!

This album is absolutely a mood. Relaxed yet precise, groovy but languid. Excellent!

Life would be so nice. Calm.

Beautiful album. I can't believe i overlooked it all these years. Floating and calm samba, sultry and slinky bass lines, fun brass songs. Putting this one on repeat!

Who doesn’t like some nice Brazilian vibes on a dark winter day? Very good album!

фантастика, очень понравилось необычное звучание, не знаю, какой это жанр, но она его сделала, супер, буду переслушивать точно 1. Samba Da Bencao 10/10 2. August Day Song 9/10 3. Tanto Tempo10/10 4. Sem Contencao 8/10 5. Mais Feliz 7/10 6. Alguem 7/10 7. So Nice (Summer Samba) 9/10 8. Lonely 9/10 9. Bananeira 10/10 10. Samba E Amor 8/10 11. Close Your Eyes 9/10

Great!

Although this artist was new to me, I enjoyed her music.

It was so nice, I loved the instrumental and her voice was so soothing, I adore this type of music

Such beauty in oral form can only be found when you have the purist of intentions. I ain't never found a portugese album I ain't like.

Beautiful

pleasant

Echt wow

128 Bossa nova con un twist, antes de que nos llenáramos de covers de canciones populares en todos los hoteles. Definitivamente lo escucharé de nuevo.

Last time I spoke about Serbian producer Suba, I mentioned how his final act in life was saving the recordings for this album from a studio fire. The third studio record from acclaimed Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova pioneer João Gilberto and Brazilian singer Miúcha. Needless to say, there's a lot of pedigree going into this album. Right off the bat, I have to give props to Bebel's sultry vocal delivery. She offered a mesmerizing performance as she ebbed and flowed between Portuguese and English lyrics of yearning emotions. Pairing her with Suba's downtempo meets bossa nova style of production was a good match. The organic instrumentation, the soft electronic loops, all these elements worked in unison for a very lush style. It felt like a natural continuation from São Paulo Confessions, while elevating a promising vocal talent. Tanto Tempo was such an exquisite listen. It makes me wonder what could have been had Suba lived to continue working with Bebel. For now, I'll take solace in what we have.

What a beautiful album.

Bossa Nova is always a good time, plus the splashes of electronic elements elevate it up quite a bit. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I enjoyed it very much. Great samba music, easy to listen to while you write.

Very nice soft music

Love

again reminded that I love bossa nova music and will until my dying day. also women's voices. also songs in languages I don't speak. it checks all the boxes. this album is amazing and I cranked it up to listen to it over and over. it tickles my brain

Mysiga sånger

Perfect Samba start to finish, always pretty always interesting, incredible voice.

Very good album for the beach, finner making etc.

A great album. I've heard some of these songs here and there, but I really didn't know anything about Bebel Gilberto. I guess she's Joao's daughter. Seems to be following the family tradition pretty well. Some classic samba songs, and some that sound well as more modern takes on the style. Good and even all the way through--great if you like samba. Rounds up to 5.

Samba in it's best organic and natural form, relaxing and enjoyable!

Really cool laid back vibes.

¡Muy bonita!

vier bis fünf

This was a great album. 5 stars

Awesome

i actually loved this. breezy, pleasant, beautiful - continuing my surprising tradition of really liking samba on this list!

This is really smooth, and, dare I say, sexy. This takes me to a place that I didn't know that I needed to be. And honestly, I enjoy not knowing what she's saying more than when she sings in English. The instrumentation is great; there's a great mix of recorded/produced instruments and acoustic instruments. Her singing style is perfect for the tone of the album. This album doesn't really have much (or any at all) cultural impact, at least mainstream culture. Which I think challenges the purpose of this list. Is it to listen to albums that are good (and sometimes great), well-known, and made a major impact to a wide audience? Or is it to listen to albums that are the very best of their genre or sub-genre, whether or not they're known to larger audiences. This album falls in the latter group, but a lot of the albums on this list are the former. Favorite Song(s): Tanto Tempo

Loved listening to this. Floaty and feel good. Nice music.

Bossa Nova: ich liebe diese Rhythmen, die Harmonien, den Klang der Sprache, ...

Отлично

Classic Bossa-Nova cant go wrong with this. Bananeira is an exceptionally good song considering the whole album.

best album i’ve heard all year

Delightful rhythmic music to start to the day to. 9/10