ASTRUD GILBERTO: "Windy"

Original Released on LP Verve V6-8754 
(USA, 1968)

While assembled from seemingly disparate sessions arranged by Eumir Deodato, Don Sebesky, and Pat Williams, "Windy" nevertheless proves one of Astrud Gilberto's most consistent and sublime efforts, artfully straddling the division between Brazilian bossa nova and American sunshine pop. Credit the aforementioned arrangers for much of the LP's appeal - from a percolating rendition of the Association's title cut to a neo-classical reinvention of the Beatles' "In My Life," the songs possess a lithe, shimmering beauty that perfectly complements Gilberto's feathery vocals. Still, she can't quite skirt the cloying sweetness that undermines so many of her mid-period Verve LPs - son Marcelo, who first joined his mother on the previous "Beach Samba" for an excruciating duet version of the Lovin Spoonful's "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," resurfaces here for a reading of The Jungle Book's "The Bare Necessities," proving yet again that children should be seen and not heard. (Jason Ankeny in AllMusic)