Joao Gilberto - Joao Gilberto (1973)

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Joao's "white album" -- a hauntingly sparse, beautiful, and quite ethereal recording. One of the best Brazilian records ever made. Next to his debut albums of the 1950s, this is probably the best work Gilberto ever did -- and that's saying a lot! HIGHLY recommended!

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01 Águas de Março - (Tom Jobim) ....... 5:23
02 Undiú - (João Gilberto) – 6:37
03 Na Baixa do Sapateiro - (Ary Barroso) ....... 4:43
04 Avarandado - (Caetano Veloso) ....... 4:29
05 Falsa Baiana - (Geraldo Pereira) ....... 3:45
06 Eu Quero Um Samba - (Janet de Almeida/Haroldo Barbosa) ....... 4:46
07 Eu Vim Da Bahia - (Gilberto Gil) ....... 5:52
08 Valsa (Como São Lindos Os Youguis)(Bebel) - (João Gilberto) ....... 3:19
09 É Preciso Perdoar - (Alcivando Luz/Carlos Coqueijo) ....... 5:08
10 Izaura - (Roberto Roberti/Herivelto Martins) ....... 5:28

João Gilberto - vocals & guitar

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This release is Joao Gilberto stripped down nearly to his bare essentials -- his voice, guitar and the extremely spare drumming of Sonny Carr -- and he's just as mesmerizing as he's ever been on records. The whole record is about the rhythmic clashes and dovetailings of a singer and his guitar, pitched at extremely low levels of volume yet generating volumes of drive without seeming to breathe hard. Dig the insistent way in which "Falsa Baiana" and Gilberto Gil's marathon rhythm machine "Eu Vim Da Bahia" ride the waves of the bossa nova groove, or how Gilberto delivers one of the best renditions of Jobim's "Aguas de Marco" -- quietly relentless and to-the-point. Three of the tracks eschew words altogether -- gentle syllables and/or Gilberto's insistent guitar tell the entire story -- and the final selection, "Izaura," belatedly adds a female voice (Miucha) in the left speaker. Though recorded in a New Jersey studio -- the engineer, surprisingly enough, is Wendy Carlos, the electronic music pioneer of Switched-On Bach fame -- this addictive release originates from PolyGram Brazil. (R.Ginell, All Music Guide)

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