Longtime fans of the Brazilian bard could probably do without the slick synthesizers and sterile drum loops that candy up his 36th album, but no
Gil
effort is without appeal. Throughout
Quanta
, he gets by on his gift for melody and his far-ranging imagination (a trademark of the
Tropicalia
movement). Shouts-out to quantum mechanics, crab vendors, and the goddess
Shiva
dot his slinky, intricate compositions.
"Pela Internet,"
a buoyant, starry-eyed ode to the information superhighway, makes a strong impression, but the real high point comes toward the end with a trio of songs that rely on little more than acoustic guitar and
's mellow, lilting voice. The instrumental
"Um Abraco No Joao"
(a tribute to
Joao Gilberto
) and the soothing
"O Mar E O Lago"
find him setting aside cleverness in favor of a gentle, unassuming profundity. Like his comrades in the
movement,
Caetano Veloso
and
Tom Ze
,
possesses an omnivorous intelligence and the talent to pursue every passing fancy. At 20 tracks,
is overstuffed. Busy arrangements and gleaming production sometimes swamp the innate beauty of its songs. Nevertheless, adventurous, attentive listeners will find plenty to delight in. ~ Daniel Browne