Bebel Gilberto sizzles as the world glides by

One of music’s main prerogatives is, not to put a theoretician’s spin on it, to take a listener out of everyday environ, time and, ultimately, oneself. Thus, it was a shock to the system, coming out of Carling Apollo in London, to find out that the roads and pavements were still drying after a whole day’s rainfall, no carnival going on but that blinding urban night of under the Hammy flyover…

For about 90 minutes it was sizzling, party-mood, a pop-Braziliana! Bebel Gilberto’s show was a tiger balm for the souls. Backed by six musicians [half of them handling percussion at times], she started relatively slow, pensively, melancholy tuned but, within half an hour, it was February in Rio! ‘Aganju’, from the eponymous second album and future single, was the one that got us out of our seats to save us next three gym visits!

Attired in a black dress with an uneven crocheted bottom over a vertigo-threatening high-heels, offset by a sparkling scarf, she was sexy, teasing more than being provocative but enough revealing to keep men’s eyes trained on those flashing pinky bits. [Very shapely indeed.] Her hips gyrated in an exciting, sensual, saucy but never vulgar manner. There is a bundle of style here, she ain’t no tramp-like boob-dropping-out popstars.

This sultry lady has it in her genes: her parents are renown Brazilian artists - father is writer of the ‘Girl From Ipanema’ and locally known as ‘The Legend’, mother is a singer who put her onstage at the age of 9 at Carnegie Hall, NYC, no less, appearing with Stan Getz, and her stepfather is Astrud Gilberto - but she is her own artisan. Newly crowned ‘Best World music act’ by MOBO awards, Bebel onstage can be romantic, beautilicious, funky, and always - passionate.

A couple of compositions are performed with a guitar accompaniment only with her voice soaring to the heart-rending blue; Gilberto mixes high drama with songs that hover between a foreplay and multi-climaxes although often no cuddles are available at all. ‘Simplesmente’, ‘Ceu Distante’, and few tracks from her debut ‘Tanto Tento’, provide the scope that is easily classed as ‘World pop’ but it is simply pop music of a very meticulous ilk.

The only let-down during the evening is her command of English, or the lack of it, despite being born in New York City: she kept addressing fans in her mother tongue despite the audience being mainly native… [She has no problem singing in English as the setlist doesn’t appear to be biased toward the Latino lyrics.] It, perhaps, adds to her mysticism by providing an aura that is obviously missing in the imagery of Dido, Natasha Bedingfield or any of the number of new ‘jazz’ songstresses on the Brit-mart.

Bebel Gilberto is an icon of contemporary Brazilian cool. Chances are good that her music is enjoyed in every cocktail lounge and boutique between London and Rio de Janeiro, where the singer was raised. The only stain on a potentially legendary career could be that she once provided vocals for Kenny G!?

The girl has left Rio and travelled via other cities, places, times to become a sweltering woman and a fully-fledged singing goddess. This was the night of the ‘nu-bossa Queen’, the first of many, no doubt.

A show that allows the world to glide by sans trauma!
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Tour dates (remaining):

17 October - Colston Hall, Bristol
19 October - Dome, Brighton
20 October - Warwick Art Centre, Coventry