Customer Reviews

Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me begin by stating that I am, if nothing else, a patient man. At last count I recall seeing SIX different compilations on Astrud Gilberto...and, though I love this artist incredibly, not one did I buy! Until "Finest Hour"...and yes, I am going to explain why.

Astrud's contributions, along with fellow Brazilian composer Antonio Jobim , is undeniable in the field of jazz/world music.Her followers, me being one of them, are legion and she still is making her contributions felt today. That being said I have kept a constant vigil for a compilation that I felt encompassed more than just a few highlights from her Verve recordings. Something that showed her many strengths and one that respected the artist as a whole. A quest that has been extremely difficult for me seeing how I was constantly "challenged" by other discs crying out for my attention! Patience, being a virtue, I have at last been rewarded!

"Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour" simply puts together, what I feel, is the best of what this incredible talent has to offer. Out of a strong selection that features "20" remarkable tunes there will be something here for everyone.My personal hightlights (...and where to begin!?) are "Goodbye Sadness", "The Face I Love", "Photograph", and of course "Corcovado (Quiet Night of Quiet Stars)". There are many more but I'll let you draw your own conclusions. The only true omission being her rendition of "Look To The Rainbow" but, forgiveness also being a virtue, it will simply be over-looked.

Astrud's voice is the one true "instrument" that is the real enjoyment. Crystal clear it carries a certain innocence that I find hard to deny. But don't be fooled for a moment...there's a complexity at work here, not just in her compositional skills but to the emotional depths to which she's able them to perform them. These offerings are, on the surface, simple...yet musically complex as well!

Obviously I'm in awe of A. Gilberto and consider myself to be a fan for life! With that in mind purchasing this particular compilation was simply the best decision I've made recently pertaining to adding to my cd collection. A "labor-of-love" that I take fairly seriously! So, with the release of "Finest Hour" what, pray tell, is your excuse for having your own copy? All virtues aside...ENJOY!!

How many compilation c.d.'s by Astrud Gilberto did it take before one can say that this is "The finest hour" by the living legend Bossa Nova singer Astrud Gilberto ? She is "The Girl from Ipanema", and when you ever heard her, you'll never forget her crystal clear and relaxing voice ! This compilation is a very good one, because it contains songs from most of her Verve albums, even her latest one together with James last. The very special thing to this c.d. is that they added 3 rare songs. One of them "Who needs forever" from the movie "The Deadly Affair" has been rereleased already on the soundtrack c.d.", but songs like "Wish me a rainbow" and Come softly to me" only appeared so far on 45rpm vinyl singles or e.p.'s. I can highly recommend this c.d. to Astrud Gilberto collectors as well as admirers who want to have at least one of her c.d.'s in their collection, if that is the case than this one should be added to your collection. No doubt about that !

Back in the days of "yore" of the sixties I heard this song "The Girl From Ipanema". It was so different from everything else that was being played on pop radio that you had to take notice. It has become Astrud's identifying theme song. . . she "is" the girl from Ipanema now for all time.
Then I never did "hear" Astrud on the radio again. I found this album and remembered her voice and the "feel" of that first song. I also found a song title on the CD which I had been searching for a long long time: "Wish Me A Rainbow" - this was the musical theme from the Natalie Wood movie, 'This Property Is Condemned"! I had to buy this CD! -- I was not disappointed, in fact I was amazed and enthralled by the song selections and by Astrud's "purrrfect" delivery of each track. She can change from the classic "bossa nova" style she has made her own as on "So Nice" and "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria".
Then she can change to make your eyes tear-up when she sings, "Trains and Boats and Planes" or "I'm Nothing Without You".
She sings a truly marvellous rendition of the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly To Me/Hushabye (she added the Hushabye). Most enjoyable.
Thank you Astrud Gilberto for all the great music you have made and left on recordings for posterity. . . and the music you are still making and recording. This album will be treasured by me and by many for a long long time. Great stuff here!

Astrud Gilberto may be the most romantic singer Brazil has ever yielded up. She's certainly the most pleasing to hear, whether the setting is a small group or an orchestra, whether it's pure bossa or jazz-inclining pop with the subtle embellishments of her native country. Put her in front of a Stan Getz quartet, a Gil Evans orchestra, a Walter Wanderley organ trio, or even a James Last ensemble, and she evokes a faraway beach that is at once as accessible as the sun and as elusive as the perfect wave. Which is just about what she has been herself in her musical personality---at the moment you think she has reached forth to touch you, she fades back and away at the moment you reach forth to touch her back, as if the yearning she so often exposes requires so much more profound touch to satisfy that you envy without shame the one who wins her love.

Any hour of her music is worth having; this one---the production kinks notwithstanding---may be the best-rounded of her best-of sets, even if here, too, longtime fans can pick a cut that might have been excised in favour of another, "better" cut. (OK, here's my swap---I could have lived with ditching "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" in favour of "Agua de Beber" or, even better, her very dreamy reading of "O Morro Nao Vem Tez.") It's breathtaking to see a best-of collection that includes a version of "Fly Me to the Moon" that leaves any other female singer's reading light years behind. And one listen to her ethereal medley of doo-wop chestnuts "Come Softly to Me" and "Hushabye" and you may be tempted to retire your copies of the originals.

On the other hand, for those who kvetch about what's missing, think of it this way: This is the one you take in the car, to remind you of why you have her best albums, now that they're back in print (especially, for me anyway, "The Astrud Gilberto Album," "Look to the Rainbow," and "A Certain Smile/A Certain Sadness"), to hear at home (and your wife or girl friend will be more than happy to remind you)---especially if you live on or near enough to the ocean. If you don't, she'll bring the ocean to you...with its warmth and its mystery alike, even in the most mundane lyric, even in the most effortless sigh of her singular voice.

I discovered the music of Astrud Gilberto while searching for something decent to listen to on the radio. The result of my endeavor produced "The Girl From Ipanema" (Track 2), which made me a fan of Astrud Gilberto ever since. I learned later that songs like hers have been ambiguously termed 'adult standards' by the music industry. While the choice of genre name seems questionable, one cannot deny the musical virtuosity and 'complex simplicity' that is Astrud Gilberto.

Fans will recall the accidental beginning of Gilberto's career: the need of a vocalist to sing both Portuguese and English lyrics in the original release of "The Girl From Ipanema". As other reviewers have noted, the simplicity and clarity of Gilberto's voice provide a degree of warmth and tenderness in her music not otherwise noted within the works of her contemporaries.

This compilation of Gilberto's work includes tracks with both English and Portuguese lyrics. Note the emotional distinction between "It Might As Well Be Spring" (Track 9), a song filled with tender innocence, and "Photograph" (Track 8), in which Gilberto taps with ease a greater depth of emotion through the use of her first language. The difference is both stark and stirring, when the listener considers the range of which Gilberto is capable.

This compilation offers a fair representation of Astrud Gilberto's early recordings, although anyone who has had the privilege of seeing her in concert (I have had that honor twice) knows that she has since spread her musical talents in other directions. Nevertheless, the body of work Gilberto produced during the 1960s stands as a testament to a spectacular performer.

I cannot complain about Astrud - she does a good job. My complaint is with the Verve people. They have produced a very sloppy compilation. The mix is very poor with one track's volume far exceeding the next. Sound levels are all over the place. That sort of improper mix should not happen with today's technological sophistication. It is sloppy work which displays a lack of concern for producing a proper and decent product.

First off, let's drop the personal attacks or nationalistic insults. This is Amazon.com, not a flame war chatroom.

Secondly, whether you like it or not, Astrud has a place in the history of bossa nova. Is she the best voice out there? No, I don't think so (I actually prefer the other female Gilberto, Bebel, though I like Astrud's works). Are there other artists that deserve their own Finest Hour releases? Again, yes. But bear in mind that this is supposed to be a release for US audiences of what one record company thinks is the definitive work of one of their artists. This wasn't up for public consumption, there wasn't a poll taken. If you don't like it, don't buy it. But if you don't, you'll be missing (what I think) is a great and wonderful example of Astrud's work.

Astrud Gilberto is famous of her little-girl-like voice and the natural, true bossa nova feeling (some deliberate out of tune and out of beat). The rhythmic Samba plus the smoothing Jazz evokes a person to imagine a group of children dancing on the seashore under the sun. Relax and liberated from everyday pressure !

Astrud definitely has a lot of excellent classic songs. It would be difficult to choose which songs are the best. But this collection, "Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour", indeed prevails other compilations such as the silver collection. First, the cover photo is more elegant. Second, it contains some longer songs such as "girl from ipanema", "quiet nights of quiet stars", and "i'm nothing without you". Third, it is more cheerful, some sadder songs such as "all that's left to say is goodbye" and "only trust your heart" are not included. Well, these reasons may be not so compelling, but I really love all 20 songs in this CD. And I can say, I spent my money correctly !

I have never known Astrud's music previously to this album. I don't know what people think of her in Brazil or here, nor do I care. My interest was evoked by the song featured in Down With Love movie soundtrack. The song made me feel good and I wanted to hear more of singer's work. I wasn't disappointed. The albums should be judged objectively not in comparison to other artists' works; that is unfortunately something other reviewers do here. The bottom line is that this music deserves to be and listened to if somebody wants to listen to it.
This is a great album!

If you're a die-hard bossa nova fan, this CD is a must for your collection. Her legendary "The Girl From Ipanema" delights, but the CD is packed with other tracks that rival or even surpass, such as "The Face I Love" (my personal favorite), "Meditation", and "So Nice". You won't be disappointed.