Sergio Mendes/Magic Lady CD

2 LPs on 1CD: SERGIO MENDES (1975)/MAGIC LADY (1979).
Personnel: Sergio Mendes (piano, synthesizer, percussion); Sergio Mendes; Bonnie Bowden Amaro, Marietta Waters, Sondra Catton, Bonnie Bowden, Bonnie Bowden, Carol Rogers (vocals); Clifford Coulter (piano); Chuck Rainey, Nathan Watts (bass guitar); Raymond Lee Pounds (drums); Laudir DeOliveira, Steve Forman , Paolo Costa, Sebastian Neto (percussion); Oscar Neves (guitar, acoustic guitar); David T. Walker, Dennis Budimir, Michael Sembello, Benard Ighner, David Amaro (guitar); Jerome Richardson (flute); Tom Scott (saxophone); Chuck Findley (trumpet); Harvey Mason, Sr. (drums); Tower Of Power Horns.
Audio Mixer: Phil (Boogie) Schier.
Recording information: Kendun Recorders (1974-1979); Records Plant (1974-1979).
Photographer: Ed Caraeff.
Arranger: Sergio Mendes.
Sergio Mendes spent the '70s straying very far from his Brazilian roots. The Sergio Mendes album from 1975 is very much in the smooth soul/quiet storm bag and Magic Lady from 1978 is a straight disco record. Neither of the records are the disasters you might have already pegged them as. Sergio Mendes is actually a small pleasure and Magic Lady, while overly smooth, isn't an embarrassment. The best part about Sergio Mendes is the sweetly harmonizing vocals of Bonnie Bowden and Sondra Catton and the laid-back groove that percolates throughout the album. The songs are all covers. Some like the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" or Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" have interesting arrangements, while some like Stevie Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" have hackneyed or meandering arrangements. Best to call it a mixed bag and cherry-pick the three or four good songs. Unlike Sergio Mendes, which actually has some emotional weight, Magic Lady is total disco fluff that sounds like it was made by the house band on the lido deck of the Love Boat. Every track has the same frothy beats and cooing vocal combo topped off with shimmering strings, synth-drum fills, and choogling percussion. By the time the disc is over, you sort of have to admire Mendes and company for so fully appropriating the disco ethic and becoming a faceless disco machine. Only the occasional piano run that peeks out from behind the sequins gives any clue that Mendes was once a semi-respected musician. Not that respect will pay the bills. By the '70s, jazz sure didn't, nor did bossa nova. Mendes did the best he could and 30 years later Collectables was there to make sure the listening public knew it. ~ Tim Sendra