Sergio Mendes

Love him or hate him, Will.i.am is not-so-quietly emerging as one of the most original producers in pop music. "Originality" is not a word often associated with the Black Eyed Peas frontman -- he's more apt to dismissed as too derivative, too corny, his influences and samples too obvious, his pop sensibilities too pandering. How fitting then, that Will's latest non-Peas project is Timeless, a collaboration with another true original whose music was often written off, in its day, as corny and derivative: Sergio Mendes.

In the '60s, Mendes and his group Brasil '66 did more to popularize Brazilian music in America and around the world than any artist before or since, but you'll seldom hear him get any credit for it. That's because Mendes' brand of samba-laced cocktail jazz lacked both the cultural purity of his mentor, the great Antonio Carlos Jobim, and the sophistication of other crossover artists like João Gilberto. Instead, Mendes' music, much like Will.i.am's, was and is unapologetically populist. He whitewashed classic Brazilian tunes like "Bananeira" and "Mas Que Nada" of their hip-shaking sexuality, added bossa nova beats to the Beatles and Burt Bacharach, and generally gave the music snobs fits by making easy listening music that was both flawlessly executed and enormously popular.

Will.i.am clearly saw a kindred spirit in the old Brazilian pop guru, and set out with Timeless to take Mendes' music and rework it for the hip-hop generation. The result, somewhat surprisingly, is a triumph from start to finish, and ranks with either artist's best work. Timeless is a sunny summer beach party of a record, with a warm, sensual vibe that evokes the breezy sound of Mendes' classic Brasil '66 records without ever sounding like a mere rehash or tribute album. If pop radio is willing to play it, it should be a massive hit.

The formula throughout most of Timeless is simple: Take classic Brazilian tunes popularized by Brasil '66 and either sample or reinterpret them with a more hip-hop sensibility and plenty of guest stars. The aforementioned "Mas Que Nada" and "Bananeira" turn up here, enlivened by the Black Eyed Peas and dancehall singer Mr. Vegas , respectively, as do other familiar tunes like "E Menina (Hey Girl)" and "Slow Hot Wind," here sampled as part of new tune called "That Heat" featuring Will.i.am and Erykah Badu. Unless you're a real purist, it's fun to hear these familiar melodies resurface in Will and Mendes' clever new arrangements.

The album's guest stars run the gamut, from old American pros like Stevie Wonder and Black Thought of The Roots to young Brazilian upstarts like rapper Marcelo D2. But the album's two best moments come courtesy of two young Americans, John Legend and Justin Timberlake. "Please Baby Don't," a Legend tune set to one of Mendes' signature, laid-back sambas, is a perfect little pop song that truly lives up to the Timeless name, while Timberlake's soulful chorus elevates "Loose Ends" to an pop/R&B anthem on a par with "Where is the Love?" That both these young singers can slot so effortlessly into the Mendes sound is a testament to how effective and broadly appealing it is. Timeless should win Mendes in particular, and Brazilian music in general, a whole new generation of fans. -- Andy Hermann

It's easy to think that since Santana made his big comeback using a lot of contemporary pop stars it would become the formula for the artists of yore to edge their way back into the limelight. Sergio Mendes, the best-selling Brazilian recording artist of all time, hasn't made a platter in eight years. He plays piano on a Black Eyed Peas track -- "Sexy" from Elephunk -- and the jam's a smash. Will.i.am of the Peas decides to hook up for a full-on collaboration with Mendes, because he's a huge fan. Being the hotshot producer of the moment, will.i.am recruited everyone from Q-Tip, Justin Timberlake, and John Legend to Jill Scott, Black Thought (the Roots), and Stevie Wonder (just to name a few) to sign on. Recorded in both Brazil and the House of Blues in Encino, the set revisits many Mendes and Brazilian songbook classics and reworks them in the modern beat-driven idiom. Needless to say, the end result is entertaining, if mixed. Let it be said that a cut like "Mas Que Nada" should never have been covered, let alone redone. But it is here with Black Eyed Peas and some backing vocals with, of course, Mendes playing that trademark piano riff. OK, "That Heat" is a reworking of "Slow Hot Wind," the Henry Mancini tune Mendes covered and is supposedly the first track will.i.am ever sampled at the ripe old age of 14. Here Erykah Badu croons in a sultry humid way as will.i.am goes down deep with the rap. Mendes' piano is what keeps the thing from falling completely apart. Better is the Baden Powell-Vinicius de Moraes medley of "Berimbau/Consolacao." Mendes' Rhodes offers the vamp that the elegant chorus singers -- Gracinha Leporace, Debi Nova, and Kleber Jorge -- and Mendes groove to. Will.i.am lays down some rather organic-sounding electronic percussion that sounds like palmas, and Wonder blows his harmonica over the entire proceeding as Jorge's guitar strides alongside Mendes' piano. This may be the best cut on the set. There is a fine case to be made for the humor in "The Frog," written by João Donato, and originally covered by Mendes. Q-Tip lays down a charming rhyme and Mendes' Wurlitzer work is killer. The cover of "Let Me" is stiff and Jill Scott, as fine a singer as she is, doesn't cut it here, and neither does the rhythm track. The smoother than smooth "Please Baby Don't," written and sung by John Legend, works because of Legend's understanding of Brazilian rhythm and Mendes' piano groove that carries the voice. "Samba da Bencao," with Marcelo D2 and guitars by the Maogani Quartet, is engaging; Mendes' acoustic piano solo is beautiful, as are the horn charts. The title track with India.Arie is simply beautiful. Aire, with backing vocals by Nova and Leporace and a slinky guitar part by Jorge, makes the tune simply float as Mendes decorates it with Rhodes and synth. Timeless is a mixed bag, but it's not because of Mendes. His own playing and arranging is utterly elegant. As a producer, will.i.am means well and in general does a fine job -- though he is, as would be expected, a tad overzealous in working with one of his idols. Timeless may not actually achieve that status, but for the moment it's a fine effort that doesn't reek of cloying commercial manipulation and feels like a true collaboration. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide