Album artwork courtesy of the label
On the turntable
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The Riviera SoundNo. 25 of the Continental 100See the full list →
The Shadow of Your Smile
Astrud Gilberto · 1965
The unhurried voice of the Mediterranean summer, by way of Rio.
Why it matters
Gilberto's singing is famously untrained, which is precisely why it works: no vibrato, no persuasion, no attempt to sell you the song. Over Don Sebesky's arrangements it becomes the sound of heat at four in the afternoon.
The Continental setting
A beach club after lunch, the parasols down, the sea flat.
Start here
- 01The Shadow of Your Smile
- 02Fly Me to the Moon
- 03Non-Stop to Brazil
