There isn't much pop music these days that compares to a beautifully sung, perfectly arranged tune by Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento. His soaring voice and gentle spirituality have, despite his reluctance to perform in English, made him an international treasure, one with impeccable taste and muito talent. On Crooner, Nascimento gets about as accessible to American audiences as he's ever been, with covers of the Platters' ÒOnly You,Ó Sergio Mendes's international hit ÒMas Que Nada,Ó and a bizarre, perhaps ill-advised stab at Michael Jackson's ÒBeat It,Ó complete with Brazilian percussion and Nascimento's choppy English.
Like his better recordings, this one feels rich and worthwhile. His voice, surrounded by the slightest bit of echo, gives the album a warm, reverberant feel, as do the gorgeous string arrangements and Bacharach-esque trumpet charts, neither of which sound dated or wimpy. No, it's not the kind of stuff that Nascimento would write and sing for his homies in North Brazil, his native region. Rather it's an album for North America, for the folks who enjoy the colorful sounds of Brazil without all the challenging indigenous instrumentation.
Milton Nascimento: All recordings courtesy of Warner Bros. Records. ÒMas Que NadaÓ written by J. Ben, courtesy of Peer International Corp. (BMI). ÒCertas CoisasÓ written by L. Santos and N. Motta, courtesy of Nelson Candido Motta Filho (U.B.C.), administered by W.B.M. Music Corp. (ASCAP). ÒLamento Do MorroÓ written by A. C. Jobim and V. de Moraes, courtesy of Corcovado Music Corp. (BMI)/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP).
