Sergio Mendes - Timeless

[DudeAsInCool]

Sergio Mendes, "Timeless"

A 1960s bossa nova crossover phenomenon, Brazil's Sergio Mendes might not be the most obvious target for a 2006 pop rehabilitation. Having played keyboards on the previous two albums by pop-rap juggernaut the Black-Eyed Peas, however, Mendes certainly has the right celebrity friends fighting in his corner. Rolling Stone (three stars out of five) even notes, "For the first few tracks, 'Timeless' sounds more like a new Peas platter than a Mendes joint," while the New York Times contends that "Timeless" is "overwhelmingly [bEP rapper] Will.i.am's album: he plays bass, supplies drum programming and raps on most of the songs in a G-rated, early-hip-hop style, cheery but toothless."

Even with its supposed author pushed into the background, the record is not completely without merit, at least according to Rolling Stone: "When Timeless succeeds, it's beautiful, boundary-breaking music." Billboard finds that "the original tracks -- especially Legend's 'Please Baby Don't' and 'Timeless' with India.Arie -- are what boost the album beyond novelty status." Prefix (one and a half out of five), though, is far from impressed, stating, "Had this project been titled 'Will.i.am Remixes Sergio Mendes and Brings in a Bunch of Big Names to Distract You,' the album would at least honestly reflect its content." Instead, "'Timeless' treats Mendes as a relic, nothing more [than] a dated sample from the past."

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