Search - Various Artists :: Maria Teresa Vera

Born in 1895 in Rio de Pinar, Maria Teresa Vera grew up in a Cuba rich in songs born of beauty and conflict. That she became a professional singer was at first an effrontery to the male-dominated music business at the time; that she became a sensation is a tribute to a talent that is now legendary in her country. In the years that she sang and wrote songs, she became famous, made a wealth of recordings, led her own band, and championed the country music of the street troubadour in the years before the son swept the nation. This album is a tribute to her. The 15 performances, by singers from Spain and Cuba, show the power of the songs themselves, songs she wrote or made famous during her career, songs that forged this generation of singers and writers. They include the polished contemporary folk-pop of Gema Corredera and Maria Salgado, whose warm performance of Vera's signature song "Viente Años" is wonderful. A more country feel comes from Caridad and Reinaldo Hierrezuel's take on Manuel Corona's humorous death tribute "Los Funerales de Papa Mantero." Other near-perfect tracks include Galician diva Uxia's "Perdona Corazon," and the heart-rending warmth of Pablo Guerrero's "Doble Inconsciencia." Pablo Milanes, one of the vanguard of the nueva trova movement in Cuba, calls Maria Teresa Vera "the embodiment of Cuban song." These performances prove it. --Louis Gibson