Venerable Latin musician Sergio Mendes has hooked up with Black Eyed Peas front man Will.I.Am and a barrage full of his friends for Timeless. Mendes and Will.I.Am actually have a great deal in common. Both are proponents of sonic fusion, hopping merrily from genre to genre and sound to sound with little regard for purists. And neither is averse to blatantly chasing album sales and radio play. Many of Mendes’ biggest hits were covers of pop songs, while the last two Black Eyed Peas albums consist entirely of commercial jingles masquerading as songs. And though Will.I.Am is best known these days for being an atrocious rapper, garish dresser, and obnoxious celebrity, he’s still a gifted multi-instrumentalist and talented producer. At its best, Timeless has an airy, effervescent quality, a beguiling smoothness. At its worst, it sounds like a lackluster Will.I.Am solo album that just happens to have Sergio Mendes sitting in on keys.
