Thankfully for Astrud Gilberto fans, this CD is now available. Astrud called it her "fireside" album. It's a quiet and intimate record, drenched in strings and lyrics about love and longing. It's such a delicate album, in fact, that it makes her "A Certain Smile a Certain Sadness" sound like hard rock in comparison. On "I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do"," Astrud attempts to free herself of her bossa nova past. Only a couple tracks (Sea is My Soil and Without Him) have any Latin flare at all. This is is an enjoyable pop record, but I did miss her singing in her native Portuguese. The highlights are the above-mentioned Sea is My Soil and Without Him as well as Astrud's rendition of Trains and Boats and Planes (a Burt Bacharach tune). Trains is one of her saddest and most moving moments; and her version of Wee Small Hours I find more charming than Sinatra's. At only 28 minutes, "I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do" is a short album, but an attractive one.
Track list:
1. I HAVEN'T GOT ANYTHING BETTER TO DO 2. DIDN'T WE? 3. WAILING OF THE WILLOW 4. WHERE'S THE LOVE? 5. SEA IS MY SOIL(I REMEMBER WHEN),THE 6. TRAINS AND BOATS AND PLANES 7. WORLD STOP TURNING 8. WITHOUT HIM 9. WEE SMALL HOURS 10. IF(THE BIGGEST LITTLE WORD)