JOBINIANDO

Ivan Lins ‘incorporated’ the spirit of Tom Jobim to make a tribute to the master of Bossa Nova, not limiting himself to the re-creation of the composer’s standards, but absorbing Tom’s style and aesthetic in his own musicality. The result is a placid album, featuring well constructed harmonies - a long-time Jobim influence on Ivan - which contrasts with the eclecticism of 2000’s A Cor do Pôr-do-sol, Ivan’s last composer work.


With the collaboration of Roberto Menescal, Ivan Lins recaptured, in his own way, some classic songs from the jobinian catalogue. Everything comes wrapped in light and economical arrangements, leaving space for the singing. As a singer, Ivan is smoother than ever, and has abandoned the high tones, adapting his performance to the subtle feel of Jobim’s melodies. Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar (basically reduced to piano and voice), Dindi (with a well placed woodwind section) and Samba do Avião (with Ivan almost rapping the lyrics) are among the best versions of the album. In the same package, the re-recording (in Tom’s style) of the American standard Time After Time, famous with Sinatra.


The composer side of Ivan is quite jobinian, including the title track - written with Martinho da Vila, with a beautiful melody. Rio de Maio is probably the best example of the symbiosis between the universes of tributed and tributee: with typical jobinian melody and expansion, the song pursues a smooth harmonic crescendo, very characteristic in Ivan’s work. In Acaso, the singer fallows the same scheme. On an almost non-surprising album, the English version of Soberana Rosa stands out. Renamed She Walks This Earth, the song breaks the mood of the record with its discreet electronic sound.

(Marco Antonio Barbosa)