Two years later, Sergio and will.i.am have joined forces again to team up for Encanto (translated means “charm” or “loveliness”), a joint venture between will.i.am Music Group, Concord Records, and…wait for it…. Starbucks! Yes, Starbucks is determined to save the music industry by playing this album on their stores all day long until unsuspecting soccer moms ask “hey, what is this?” and buy the CD on the spot. But, taking that into account, this time things are different. Either the budget is lower, Sergio wants to stick to his roots a little more, or Starbucks doesn’t want potty-mouthed rappers on their products, but Encanto isn’t nearly soiree the that Timeless was.

That doesn’t necessarily mean its not a good party, just a lot of the cool people didn’t show up this time. Will takes a back seat to production values this time, as the ball is more in Sergio’s court, collaborating more with artists of his own genre than those of hip-hop and R&B. Will does have four contributions, but with hit and miss results. “The Look Of Love” has been done many times over the past forty years, so Fergie’s new rendition is contrived and nothing special, starting the album off on a bad note (literally, Ferg!). “Funky Bahia” fares better however, as Will’s moving, acoustic drum driven track helps animate former Michael Jackson/Brand New Heavies collaborator, Siedah Garrett’s, festive vocals. Will also contributes to the album’s final pair of tracks, “Acode”, featuring popular Brazilian vocalist Vanessa Da Mata and “Agua De Beber”, featuring Will himself. “Acode” is a funky-yet-atmospheric up-tempo jam sung completely in the native tongue, and it works. “Agua De Beber” finds Will on top a set of Sergio’s pianos, while Will recounts the story of how the collaboration came to be.

As far as tracks produced by Sergio’s own hand, the results are also a bit hit and miss. The first of these is the vibey “Waters of March”, where New Orleans vocalist Ledisi gets ultra-descriptive over Serg’s funky rhodes 73 keys and layers of percussion. More native to his land is “Odo-Ya”, which pulls no punches as Carlinhos Brown goes full force, abandoning any attempt at modernizing or Americanizing Sergio’s signature sound. Much of the rest of the album follows in this direction, while other tracks allow Sergio to enchant his female listeners with more romantic selections like “Dreamer” (feat. Lani Hall & Herb Alpert) or “Catavento” (feat. Gracinha Leporace). Surely you’ve heard of them?

Make no mistake, this is a world music record, not a pop record like Timeless. But, while the big names of Timeless made for some great collaborations that of which made it easier for the average listener to grab onto, Encanto is a slower build. But if Timeless got you open, and you yearn for some more of that Brazilian funk that only Sergio can deliver, this is worth checking out, despite its minor inconsistencies. – Pizzo

      While longtime followers of the Black Eyed Peas have felt betrayed by the group’s last two albums’ relentless crossover sound, Timeless allows Will to flex his muscles as a producer and take things back to an artistic level. The album’s opener, “Mas Que Nada” finds the Peas in their element, blending their brand of breezy hip-hop with Mendes’ bossa nova rhythms with natural fusion. While Fergie’s “la-la” back-up vocals grate like nails on a chalkboard, thankfully this is her only appearance on the record. “That Heat” and “Let Me” instead tap Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, respectively, to back-up Will’s playful verses, with much better results. “The Frog” wields natural results, as Will teams up with one of his obviously most prominent influences, Q-Tip, recreating the classic Native Tounge sound, simultaneously paying tribute to the sound of Sergio as well. The climax of it all, at least on the hip-hop tip, is “Yes, Yes Ya’ll”, an excellent posse cut that teams up Will with Black Thought of The Roots and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5.

     But while the hip-hop collaborations of this record will sell you, some of its most charming selections are the ones that stay within Sergio’s original boundaries. As far as collaborators go, John Legend is the ultimate show-stealer of the record, with his thoughtful “Please Baby Don’t”, which is sure to have the females melting - and sambaing. While soundbwoy Mr. Vegas plays host to “Banaeria”, its reggae overtones are no match for Sergio’s heavy Brazilian bounce. The lovely “E Menina” finds Sergio by himself, far away on some tropical island, sipping martinis with the James Bond girls, proving that perhaps his other stuff is worth checking out, even without high profile guest artists.