Proof positive that both Concord and
Sergio Mendes are swinging for the fences on
Bom Tempo is this collection of remixes; it was released simultaneously with the album. The roster of producers includes
Paul Oakenfold (whose thumping rework of "Maracatu Atomico" starts things off with a bang),
Chuckie, Cutmore,
Nicola Conte,
Paul Harris,
Moto Blanco,
Bimbo Jones, and
Roger Sanchez, among others. These range all over the place musically and sonically. The tunes were chosen either off the album or were songs
Mendes recorded at some point in his career. Some of the standouts on this 12-track, nearly hourlong set include
Conte's "Só Tinha de Ser com Você" with the inimitable
Gracinha Leporace on vocals; the Afro-electro remake of
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March" with
Zap Mama singing in French; the four-on-the-floor, horns-in-your-face take on
Stevie Wonder's "The Real Thing" (the lone cover on
Bom Tempo) by the
Bimbo Jones duo; a fist-pumping, anthemic "Emorio" by
Oakenfold; and the futuristic electro and hip-hop on "Mas Que Nada" by the
NERVO sisters. Where
Bom Tempo sought to reach mainstream listeners in droves, this remix set is is aimed straight at club audiences. ~ Thom Jurek