I have complex feelings about this album.

The ripples of this release are still felt in music made today. Some of my favorite records are infused with the Bossa nova sound that this album pioneered. During my listens, I did enjoy having it on and felt like it blended in to the background seamlessly. But that seamlessness turned out to be one of my biggest issues here.

I hate to say it, but I found this album quite boring. Aside from the iconic first track ("The Girl From Ipanema"), all of the songs seemed to run into each other without much ado. I know it was intended to be easy listening, and it was easy. The problem is that it wasn't much else.

Even though it's an important and extremely well-done piece of work, I just don't think this album is for me. It left me feeling a bit unsatisfied, like it was a beautiful setup for a story that said nothing.