Bebel Gilberto: Tudo

On her seventh studio album, Bebel Gilberto follows a path similar to her last two records: a blend of original electronic-enhanced acoustic music sung in English and Portuguese and a handful of covers. Tudo opens with the gentle ballad "Somewhere Else," a track cleverly arranged with the addition of a string quartet led by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.

"Nada Não" is a syncopated breakup tune in which the narrator tells a former lover that he will not be taking anything with him because "it never belonged to you" in the first place. "Essas Idéias" is the sole bona-fide samba—a gorgeous duet with Seu Jorge, who sings his parts with great authority, including a scat over the melody. The title track (which translates into English as "Everything") is a gentle ballad centered on a subtle arrangement made around acoustic guitars and percussion and also Atwood-Ferguson's strings halfway through the tune.

Among the covers is a gentle bossa-inflected take on Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" sung in an almost whispered voice—quite a contrast from the original. She did not do that with Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic composition "Vivo Sonhando," ("Dreamer") opting instead for a more classic arrangement of acoustic guitar, percussion and flute.

Some songs are a bit forgettable: the original "Inspiração" plays around a repeated loop and sounds almost like an afterthought tucked at the very end of the disc, and her cover of Luiz Bonfa's "Saudade Vem Correndo" sounds as if it belongs in a completely different era. However, that does not take away from the album's overall high quality.

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