Search - Various Artists :: Cuba Classics 2: Dancing With the Enemy

An assortment with some gems in it !

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 06/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These selections were released here in '91, compiled by Ned Sublette, who says: "This album is an impure, by no means definitive, collection of newly available recordings that almost no one in this country knows. The emphasis is on the '60's and '70's, but some were recorded after, and some were re-recordings of older tunes".My absolute favorite is Caridad Cuervo with the Conjunto Caney, singing a cha-cha, "Eres la Candela"...one of those tracks that gets the "repeat" function a lot. Celeste Mendoza's "Mi Rumba Echando Candela" is also terrific, as is "Eso no es Na" by María Teresa Vera, a legendary singer with a career that spanned nearly 30 years, ending in the early '60's.You'll wonder what hit you with the Orquesta Revé's "Fifi, Teté y Popó"...it's kind of 50's American pop/rock 'n' roll...both the Orquesta Original de Manzanillo, and Pancho El Bravo ("Mis Compadres Puntean Son" is wonderful) are charangas, with that great Cuban flute playing.Los Van Van are perhaps the most well known name on this CD, with more of a "modern" style, though my preference is for the older sound, like the Conjunto Rumbavana's "No Me Llores", which is among my favorites on this recording...an odd-ball compilation, it's certainly unique, and who can resist "Eres la Candela" !"