Agora

Since her acclaimed 2000 debut, Tanto Tempo, reimagined bossa nova with a brilliant contemporary electronic twist, Gilberto’s career has followed an uneven course. In recent years she seemed to have disappeared from view completely. Happily she’s back with her first album in six long years, although sadly she’s been having a tough time of late – while writing and recording the follow-up to 2014’s Tudo both her mother (Miúcha Gilberto) and her father (João Gilberto) died. Perhaps it’s the pain of loss or perhaps it’s simply the seasoned ripeness of her years but Agora feels like her finest offering in perhaps a decade and a half.

She describes the record as ‘more mature and extremely sincere’ – and for once it’s more than press release hype. Singing exquisitely in both English and Portuguese she fuses bossa nova, Latin jazz, ambient moods, a sultry sexuality and diaphanous, downtempo electronica. Producer Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens/St Vincent/The Gloaming) lends a smart pop shimmer but never lets the sheen get in the way of Gilberto’s sensuous voice and alluring melodies. The result is a melting, enveloping sound that both soothes and thrills.