*** Bebel Gilberto

TANTO TEMPO

(Six Degrees)

Being the daughter of João Gilberto, the man whose whispered vocals and understated guitar style helped launch the bossa nova, and Miucha Gilberto, one of Brazil's great singers, can't be easy, especially when it means making your singing debut at age seven at Carnegie Hall with your mom and Stan Getz. And Bebel did try to resist her destiny for many years after that, moving from Brazil to New York to study acting and later to London, where she still resides.

But like her father, she has a sultry, less-is-more vocal style that coveys a simmering sensuality marked by a fatalistic resignation to the anguish of romantic love. So once people heard her sing, they wanted more. And, after a series of successful duets with the likes of Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, and her dad, Bebel accepted the inevitable and set to work on her solo debut. Although Tanto Tempo does make use of some 21st-century technology -- a couple of tracks are built on synth samples and percussion loops -- most of it is as uncluttered and acoustically subtle as the bossa of yesteryear, with Gilberto's effortless vocals set against a sophisticated backdrop of smooth tropical grooves. The result is an album that produces the expected sense of carioca -- Rio's unique brand of soulful relaxation.

-- J. Poet