Astrud Gilberto: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium... : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

It wasn't just the dry, doleful voice that made Astrud Gilberto an international bossa nova star. It was her eyelashes, her beehive, her swank Sixties minidresses -- she was the epitome of mod heartbreak, a Brazilian version of Dusty Springfield. Her then-husband was the first and finest of bossa nova stars, Joao Gilberto. But in the English-speaking world, Astrid became ten times as famous, after Joao brought her in to sing lead on the huge 1964 hit "The Girl From Ipanema." She even won a Grammy for Record of the Year, trouncing some rookies called the Beatles. This collection is full of lushly orchestrated, lightly swinging classics, many written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with melodies so bittersweet it doesn't matter whether she sings in English or Portuguese -- she always sounds sad.