Sergio Mendes - Sergio Mendes `75 / Magic Lady `79 (2005)

Sergio Mendes spent the '70s straying very far from his Brazilian roots. The Sergio Mendes album from 1975 is very much in the smooth soul/quiet storm bag and Magic Lady from 1978 is a straight disco record. Neither of the records are the disasters you might have already pegged them as. Sergio Mendes is actually a small pleasure and Magic Lady, while overly smooth, isn't an embarrassment. The best part about Sergio Mendes is the sweetly harmonizing vocals of Bonnie Bowden and Sondra Catton and the laid-back groove that percolates throughout the album. The songs are all covers. Some like the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" or Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" have interesting arrangements, while some like Stevie Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" have hackneyed or meandering arrangements. Best to call it a mixed bag and cherry-pick the three or four good songs. Unlike Sergio Mendes, which actually has some emotional weight, Magic Lady is total disco fluff that sounds like it was made by the house band on the lido deck of the Love Boat. Every track has the same frothy beats and cooing vocal combo topped off with shimmering strings, synth-drum fills, and choogling percussion. By the time the disc is over, you sort of have to admire Mendes and company for so fully appropriating the disco ethic and becoming a faceless disco machine. Only the occasional piano run that peeks out from behind the sequins gives any clue that Mendes was once a semi-respected musician. Not that respect will pay the bills. By the '70s, jazz sure didn't, nor did bossa nova. Mendes did the best he could and 30 years later Collectables was there to make sure the listening public knew it.


Tracks:

Sergio Mendes (1975):
01. Davy (4:05)
02. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) (3:40)
03. All In Love Is Fair (4:26)
04. Let Them Work It Out (3:07)
05. Here Comes The Sun (3:47)
06. If I Ever Lose This Heaven (3:05)
07. Lookin' For Another Pure Love (3:37)
08. Someday We'll All Be Free (4:13)
09. You Been Away Too Long (4:09)
10. The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye (3:59)

Magic Lady (1979):
11. I'll Tell You (5:49)
12. Lonely Woman (3:25)
13. You Get Your Love From Me (3:49)
14. Magic Lady (3:55)
15. Yes I Love You (3:55)
16. A Dream Come True (Can't Hardly Wait) (4:31)
17. Let It Go (6:22)
18. Summer Dream (3:36)

Personnel:

Sergio Mendes (1975):
Sergio Mendes - piano, synths
Harvey Mason - drums
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
David T. Walker - guitar
Oscar Castro Neves - guitar
David Amaro - guitar
Dennis Budimir - guitar
Bernard Ighner - guitar
Jerome Richardson - flute
Chuck Rainey - bass
Bonnie Bowden - vocals
Sondra Catton - vocals
Produced by David Grusin and Sergio Mendes.

Magic Lady (1979):
Sergio Mendes - piano, synths, percussion
Tom Scott - sax
Chuck Findley - trumpet
Michael Sembello - guitar
David Amaro - guitar
Alan Diaz - drums
Nathan Watts - bass
Sebastian Neto - percussion
Steve Forman - percussion
Laudir Oliveira - percussion
Oscar Castro Neves - acoustic guitar, string arrangements
Greg Adams - horn arrangements
Clifford Coulter - piano
Bonnie Amaro - vocals
Carol Rogers - vocals
Marieta Waters - vocals
Tower Of Power Horn Section:
Lenny Picket, Emilio Castillo, Steve Kupka, Mic Gillette, Greg Adams
Produced by Sergio Mendes.