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Click Here to Read Albita's Bio in Spanish |
"SON"
Albita had a "Son", but it didn't take her nine months---it took her two years.
Two years during which the Cuban singer saw what, apparently, looked like the evaporation of a meteoric career that, in the lapse of three years, turned her into one of the brightest stars of Latin music. Apparently. Because, ironically, in the last two years, and without a record, Albita was even busier than during the early "boom."
Gone were the well-publicized excitement of Madonna, Quincy Jones, Gianni Versace and many other faces of the international jet set, early members of Albita's legion of fans. Gone were the photos in Newsweek, the cigar-smoking Albitamania, the routine sight of sold out concerts nationwide, and the expectation to hear the first notes of her new album.
And gone was the support of her record label, which wasn't satisfied with having one of Latin music's most critically acclaimed figures in its roster, and expected unrealistic sales in the millions as if it was dealing with some lightweight teen pop star.
"Unfortunately, the market is a little too narrow for music and art in general," said Albita. "With music, we're not nearly as democratic as we want to be socially. But that's all right, that's what it's all about: It's about fighting a little, diving head first in order to open up different types of societies and different types of music. And I believe there's always people willing to hear something different."
Albita's two-year recording absence is perhaps the most absurd reminder of the present state of the Latin music industry. The words of Argentine producer Gustavo Santaolalla, an admirer, echo the feelings of fans and students of music in the tongue of Cervantes: "It's unjustifiable that an artist with Albita's talent, impact and history could have been without a contract for so long," said Santaolalla, a three-time Grammy-nominated producer. "This come back could not have been more well-deserved."
That return began when Albita decided to start almost from scratch and face the task of fighting hard to give birth to Son, her first record in two years. A labor of love that finally after a very complex negotiation, Times Square Records, a division of Silva Screen Records, got the green light to release, in May 2000, the most awaited record in recent memory.
"After listening to the album, after meeting Albita in person, and after seeing her perform live, we have no doubts that we are in the presence of a true artist," said Yusuf Gandhi, president and CEO for the company. "There are good singers, and there are Artists. Albita is a true Artist. When you listen to her music, you can't compare it with anything else. She's unique. She's Albita. And her qualities as a professional could not have been more pleasing to us: to work with someone as talented and hard working as Albita, is any record label executive's dream."
Son fills a very special place in Albita's heart. "It's the record that had to suffer more conflicts, and that's why it's the one I love the most," says Albita, as happy as ever, and tirelessly ready to talk about her new album. Like a proud mom.
"SON"
In Albita's own words
"Son is like the ultimate record. I tried to summarize my experiences of all these years. It's the mix of past, present and future. And the title of the album is very significant. "Son" is the music that nurtures me, the motor that pushes me forward, but also, "son" is the equivalent of "hijo" in Spanish, so it was the perfect title, because that's what I feel this album is to me. We can't live the present without a past, and we can't go to the past without having a very solid present. Wellý but I also want people to have fun, right? I'm not interested in giving a cultural lesson with a dance recording. Son is also a lot of sabor [taste, flavor], lots of rhythm, lots of energy, happiness, because people in Cuba always had fun in all times throughout history, regardless of external factors. The idea is to go in and out of different eras, but in a natural way. It is normal for me to feel Miguel Matamoros and then get inspiration from, say, Chick Corea, to go with Beny Mor¼ and then reinvent myself in Gonzalo Ruvalcaba. That's my history as an artist, to go from trova to pop, that's what moves me. And always remaining very open to other trends going on in the world. All songs in Son play both with tradition and the present. The album doesn't avoid anything."
"SON"
Song by song
"Coraz“n adentro" (Albita)
"At first, the album was going to be named Coraz“n adentro, but finally, I chose Son, which was the more appropriate title. This is one of four songs composed by me, and summarizes the spirit of the CD: The traditional son, the jazzy feel here and there, a mix of simplicity and sophistication. As I said: To go in and out of different eras."
"El manicero" (Mois¼s Simmons)
"This arrangement is by Rafael Mari¿o, who was a true shoulder for me in the making of this album. The original was written especially for Rita Montaner, who was the first to popularize the song worldwide. I needed a song like this for the album, and Rafael showed me an instrumental version he had done, and I was fascinated. I told him, 'I want to sing that arrangement, and you must give it to me!!' He had to give it to meý (Laughs) We only changed it a little bit. It's a wonderful arrangement, one of the most interesting things about this album. It never loses the heart of the song, which resides in the 'cum chin cum cu cum,' which represents the manicero [peanut seller], but the arrangement jumps from instrument to instrument. The challenge is to discover where it is at any given time. Mari¿o gave the song very jazzy surroundings, and there is even a little rap somewhere in the middle. I really enjoy this arrangement, not only as an artist, but in my live performances I become just another dancer, right there onstage."
"20 a¿os" (MarÍa Teresa Vera)
"Is one of Cuba's most popular songs. There is no female singer in Cuba who hasn't sung this song. MarÍa Teresa Vera is a very important woman. In her time, she had all things against her: She was a woman, and she was black. Nevertheless, she would go from bar to bar, by the theaters (at that time, the theaters were only meant for men). When men would come out of the theater, they found this woman, singing such aggressive love songs. And, if you listen carefully, there is a subtle contact with tango. Here we also played a lot with tradition and modernity. There is a bass that's a little baroque, but always respecting the original version. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to sing it."
"Comentario del solar" (Miguel Matamoros)
"It's a very authentic version, very close to the spirit of the original. Only at times there are very subtle moments when we add some harmony variations, but in a very delicate manner, in order to keep the song's magic, rhythm and sabor."
"Mel“n colorado" (Rafael Mari¿o)
"Even though it was composed by someone in our times, it's a very traditional city son, very urban, a son meant to be played by a sextet. At times it turns modern and aggressive, similar to what is now known as the Nueva Timba Cubana. But deep down it never breaks off from the traditional sextet format."
"Ni tì Ni yo" (Albita)
"This is a good example of a son as a ballad. It has been done before, but people don't know it, they think son is only 'music to dance.' Pablo Milan¼s, Silvio RodrÍguez, the Nueva Trova in general, have done similar things. Even [Venezuelan] Franco de Vita sometimes plays with this style. I like it a lot because it's a softer son that allows you to say other things that are also important."
"Sucu-suco" (traditional)
"It's like a hodgepodge. It starts and ends with a changuÍ.
These are very small genres, derivatives of son, but still very important. The sucu suco comes from the island of Pinos, which is located just below the island of Cuba. It's only played there and a little bit in Pinar del RÍo. And changuÍ belongs to the eastern region, so they are very different to one another. They're very similar to [Colombia's] vallenato, in the sense that they're very descriptive of the life of peasants, funny, filled with double meanings."
"San L–zaro" (traditional)
"It's a Cuban classic. With Rafael [Mari¿o] we tried to keep the original arrangement. Structurally, the arrangement was kept the same, but we added more contemporary visions in regards to harmony. We were able to respect the original flavor of the son montuno, the rural son, and at the same time decorate it with a 'today' sound. It's a song I use now to open my shows, and it's giving me very good results."
"Azìca' pa' tu amargura" (Albita)
"It's a very contemporary son, where we mix everything: a little bit of rumba, lots of jazz and, obviously, son, which is the backbone of the song. It starts very Latin jazz, and has that very Cuban double meaning in the lyrics."
"El Duende" (Albita)
"It's the only song that's not a son. We all want to have a little duende [goblin] to protect us when things are not going very well for us. That duende is whatever one wants it to be. Now that I think of itý that's what Son is all about---this record is my little duende."
