Timeless

Timeless is the magnificent new album by the legendary Sergio Mendes. Produced by and featuring Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, this album is a wholly original synthesis of music from the man who--40 years ago--brought Brazil 66 and "Mas Que Nada" to the world. Timeless beautifully blends the urban culture of Brazil, samba and bossa nova with the urban culture of America, hip hop and rap, the results of which are truly spectacular. Putting together the project, Will and Sergio, of course, brought in the Black Eyed Peas. They also recruited some of the biggest urban-pop artists of the last several decades, each a Sergio fan, to contribute to various tracks. Featured artists include Erykah Badu, Justin Timberlake, India.Arie, Q-Tip, John Legend, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, and members of the Roots and Jurassic 5. Concord. 2006.

As you might expect, Timeless isn’t your parents’ Sergio Mendes. Take "Mais Que Nada," the opener from that topselling staple of post-60s, post-bossa, near-kitsch Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66: Greatest Hits. Here it’s no simple, slinky groove. The Black-Eyed Peas are along for the bumpin’ ride. What it amounts to is the same intercultural collision that happened when bossa nova met jazz and pop via Stan Getz’s tenor sax, except here the meeting is between the lounge and, presumably, the street. John Legend and India.Arie keep the session on a downtempo, neo Brazilian vibe on "Please Baby Don’t" and the title track (respectively). Once those are tunes end, though, it’s back to the bump and the beats and the irresistible party vibe of the set. Don’t fret, though, as the Peas keep things light enough to trigger innocent headbobs and chilled out dance steps. Just as you might hear Timeless and agree that it ain’t your parents’ Sergio, your parents can also hear will.i.am’s and the Peas’s pivotal roles and say that it’s not their kids’ Black-Eyed Peas, either --Andrew Bartlett