Latin Record Rack

An outstanding album of Cuban son by a band that’s been around for more than two decades, firmly anchored in the genre’s most endearingly traditional aspects but still unprejudiced enough to keep an eye open to the future. The group switches from a traditional son montuno to a sweet ballad, starting with a spicy guaracha and ending with a soul-lifting descarga. The lyrics are charmingly old-fashioned, sung by as many as five different singers. But the dense, propulsive rhythmic base and the brilliant piano of Bernardo Sassetti are the two elements that steal the show.