Encanto

Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes spins his remarkable magic on his newest recording, a bona fide classic! This is a kaleidoscopic album that underscores the maestro's ear for addictive melodies, as well as his ability to cast incredibly talented singers and musicians from all over the world
Customer Review: a review for Brasil '66 fans
It's been around 40 years since Mendes reached an artistic and commercial peak with several classic albums that successfully mixed bossa nova, jazz, and pop music. Those albums still sound fresh today, thanks to the terrific songs, latin rhythms and some sparkling arrangements. Since then, Mendes has experimented with mixing his Brazilian sound with folk rock, funk, dance music, hip hop, and on "Encanto," some r&b. As someone who prefers the work he did with Brasil '66 to anything more recent, to my ears the album is pleasant though generally forgettable with the exception of a few wonderful tracks. Unsurprisingly the best tracks are those with strong melodies by Antonio Carlos Jobim, in particular "Somewhere in the Hills" and "Dreamer," both of which are direct descendants of the sound of Brasil '66. "Dreamer" includes both Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, who sounds remarkably like she did when she was fronting Brasil '66. This is a genuinely stunning track and easily the best on the album. Natalie Cole sings "Somewhere in the Hills" which is appropriately jazzy and is one of Jobim's strongest melodies. Other Jobim tracks include "Waters of March" which Mendes has covered several times in the past. It's a singer's song, and sounds a little rhythmically stiff here, as it has in his previous efforts. "Morning in Rio" is also good, with a more Brazilian styled melody and a nice trombone solo. The rest of the CD is listenable, but not such that I ever want to hear most of it again. "The Look of Love" is an unnecessary remake of a good song. What made the original great was a sensational big band arrangement which has been dropped in favor of a hip hop arrangement. I liked the Brazilian styled funk of "Odo-ya" and the mellow "Catavento" with Mendes' wife on lead vocals. On the other hand, "Funky Bahia" and "Lugar Comum," the latter of which features an Italian rapper doing a little snippet of "Volare," are disposable pop/hip hop songs. If I could get into Mendes' head, I would try to convince him do an album of Jobim and Marcos Valle songs with Herb Alpert and Lani Hall and a small jazz/bossa combo. It might not sell a million copies, but it would be an artistic triumph. If you're an unreconstructed fan of Brasil '66 as I am, I can recommend this with reservations. You might be better off just downloading a handful of tracks. But "Dreamer" should not be missed.
Customer Review: Summery and enchanting.
"Encanto" follows the highly acclaimed 2006 collaboration with will.i.am Timeless and with this latest release, Sergio takes us even deeper into Brazil, having recorded all the basic tracks in Rio and Bahia and finally finishing up in in California, where the studio band included Alphonso Johnson. For "Encanto" (in Spanish for Enchantment), Mendes has also enlisted the formidable and enchantingly diverse talents of an array of guest musicians who hail from the world over. Latin superstar Juanes from Colombia and multi-talented Carlinhos Brown & Vanessa da Mata from Brazil jostle alongside the foremost Japanese pop group Dreams Come True, Belgium's Zap Mama and Italian rapper Jovanotti. This international cast is completed by the American stars Fergie, Siedah Garrett and Herb Alpert who is accompanied by his wife, original Brasil '66 singer, Lani Hall. Old smoothie Mendes gets jiggy on a selection of bossa-favourites with a raft of guest stars including the ubiquitous Will.i.am and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Natalie Cole and Herb Alpert et all... This new album essentially is a cross between Mendes' soft, salsa-tinged melodies and modern day R'n'B. The opening track, "The Look of Love" with rap/vocals by Fergie, is a deliciously moreish funky-fusion, and for the first third or so, the combination of Sergio's Rhodes with the hip-hopped production style is terrific. Perhaps this new version of Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love", which Mendes had originally transposed to bossa nova heaven in 1967 is the boldest track on "Encanto". This new interpretation, produced by Black Eyed Peas will.i.am, preserves the alluring melody of the original while bringing the song into the new millennium with crisp drum programming and a sexy rap by Fergie. Then it goes all smooth jazz on you. Not bad, though. Whether you are a Sergio Mendes fan especially the earlier stuff, Brasil 66, Equinox, etc or a Black Eyed Peas fan, or indeed R&B then there's something on this album to please everyone. I'd say for such a challenging album there are only a couple of songs that are just to heavy hip hop for me. The rest is a joy to listen to, if you are open minded about remixes and love to see what Sergio has been up to. This album is a grower. The more I listen to it, the better it gets. You will like it. Picks of the album: "The Look of Love", "Waters Of March", "Dreamer", and "Somewhere In The Hills (O Morro Nao Tem Vez)". Equinox Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Greatest Hits The Very Best of Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66

Ibiza has always held the reputation of being THE place for clubbers to descend on in the summer seasons. Between the months of May and September, Ibiza (the smallest Baelaric island) is transformed from quiet resort into the clubber's paradise the name is synonymous with. In recent years, there have been suggestions that the island is losing its reputation as the clubbing 'Mecca', but thankfully a recent poll of top DJs really puts this to bed. The world's biggest DJs voted on their top 50 clubs to perform at and Ibiza clubbing has a far better representation than such a small island should have! In terms of quality club density, it would be pretty hard to beat the island, with 5 Ibiza clubs in the top 50 and with 4 of those featured in the top 10!
From these results, it should be pretty easy for me to list the DJ's top 5 clubs in Ibiza, so without further ado, here it is in reverse order:

5. Privelege (36th in the world)

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Privelege is not just the biggest club in Ibiza, but also the world. This will come as no surprise to people who have visited the breathtaking venue. Spectacular light effects are made all the more impressive by the 25 metre ceiling, and it even houses a huge swimming pool. The real beauty of this Ibiza club is that due to its size, the venue changes every night - the dcor is different to fit the club night, making for a slightly disorienting experience for those with a hazy memory of the night before! As with other top Ibiza clubs, tourists can expect to share a dance floor with some big names - in the past, Privilege has been patronised by Madonna, Jean-Paul Gautier, Puff Daddy and Jade Jagger...

4. Amnesia (8th in the world)

Founded in 1976, Amnesia is viewed as legendary by the Ibiza clubbing scene. Although it is no longer open air, the venue has made the loss acceptable by replacing the freedom with volume! If Privelege was all about the building itself, Amnesia is all about the sound system and the effect it has. Cocoon's techno Mondays provide sonic innovation aplenty, while Cream's Ibiza music is legendary. Residency is provided by the aforementioned Cream, Made in Italy and Armin Van Buuren.

3. DC10 (7th in the world)

In terms of dcor, this is striking if not particularly aesthetically appealing - DC10 is a converted airport hanger (the club contains giant inflatable aeroplanes in homage to this heritage), which creates an amazing atmosphere with interesting acoustics. And because of its size, the Ibiza club can hold a massive 1500 revellers each night creating an atmosphere that's unforgettable - it's unsurprising the DJs in the poll valued it so much. The resident DJs are Jo Mills, CLoco Dice and Cirillo.

2. Pacha (3rd in the world)

Although Pacha is the name for a chain of nightclubs across Europe, it is the Ibiza club that has become synonymous with the brand. Opened in 1973, the club is one of the most famous on the island and has a capacity of 3,500 - which is just as well as the nights like 'Pure Pacha' really test the capacity, with top DJs such as Pete Tong hosting proceedings during the peak summer months. House music is the type most associated with the famous Ibiza club, but it actually has five separate rooms with distinctive musical stylings. One final aspect worth noting is that Pacha is the only club to stays open during the winter season, which is well worth remembering if you're trying to save some cash with a cheap holiday to Ibiza in winter.

1. Space (1st in the world)

It's hardly surprising that Space is regarded as the world's best night club. Ibiza's favourite has won all kinds of awards - as well as the accolade voted by the DJs this year, the nightclub was awarded the 'best club in the world' award at the 2001 Dancestar awards, and won 'best global club' at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005 and 2006. Space is most famous for pioneering its "We Love Sundays @ Space" events, which really test the endurance of clubbers. Ibiza's revellers will find the doors opening at 8am on Sunday morning, and closing again at 6am on Monday! The atmosphere is what makes the club great, and that in turn attracts top name DJs throughout the summer. The venue allows clubbing Ibiza tourists and residents to rave until the sun comes up on the outdoor terrace - which was moved (stone by stone) to the other side of the club to stop upsetting the neighbours!

With plenty of smaller, lesser known venues dotted around Ibiza, clubbing is set to be the focus of tourism to the island for some time to come. Certainly, you cannot call yourself a proper clubber until you've taken in a cheap Ibiza holiday.

Daniel Eyre is the Products Manager of Search Travel Online. Search Travel Online is part of the Co-operative Group, specialising in cheap holidays to Ibiza, Majorca, Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa Dorada, Costa del Sol, Andorra, Egypt, Malta and the Canaries.

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