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Alex Cuba
Recommended New Music!
by Catalina Maria Johnson, Ph.D.
Agua del Pozo:
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Nuevisima trova emerges in the open land between Artemisa and British Columbia
Agua del Pozo, the lyrical collection of thirteen tracks by Alex Cuba (Alexis Puente), Cuban singer/songwriter/multinstrumentalist now based in Canada, surprises in its accomplished interchange between funky soulified pop hooks, delicate guitar riffs and a voice that layers a velvety sheen over the textures of Cuban folk music. And all of this sweetened with a touch of jazz – Agua del Pozo is a collection of ballads and gentle tunes meant to be savored slowly.
“Artemisa, la tierra que me ha dado la sonrisa”
Artemisa, the land that gave me my smile
Considered one of the rising stars of the Cuban diaspora, Alex Cuba spent his childhood in Artemisa, one hour west of La Habana. He credits the influences of North American musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and The Blind Boys of Alabama equally with a rich heritage that includes the free musical education of Cuba and an illustrious musical family. Alex originally created music with his brother Adonis, who co-wrote two of the songs on Agua Del Pozo. His father, renowned guitar player and music teacher, Valentin Puentes, also participates in Agua, singing back-up vocals on the track “Que Bongó”.
“Esta es mi morumba cubana, donde mezclo de todo
Con sabor a más nada, que mi propio sabor”
“This is my Cuban morumba, where I mix it all up
with no other flavors other than my own”
“Agua del Pozo” earned Alex Cuba his second Juno (Canadian Grammy) for Best World Music album of 2008 following his first Juno for Humo de Tabaco two years earlier. His sophomore album evolves assuredly from his debut, moving away from traditional acoustic instrumentation and introducing Alex’s electric guitar, a vintage Gibson. Although some of the tracks veer closely to a purely pop sound, he manages to keep his relaxed vibe fresh by taking it back repeatedly to the more satisfying foundation of Cuban folk and roots from the 19th and 20th centuries – his guitar at times reminiscent of changüí, a style of Cuban music which arose in the sugar cane refineries and rural communities of Guantanamo, combining the Spanish canción with African rhythms and percussion of Bantu origin; his lyrics in the tradition of the great trovadores or troubadors, who earned their living singing trova accompanied by the guitar, a tradition from which would later emerge the revolutionary nueva trova, the Cuban protest music of the sixties and seventies.
“Yea yea, yea yea yea yea ”
Alex Cuba’s poetic lyrics speak of love and romance, joy, sadness and even Afro-Cuban religion. Yet although his songs are in Spanish, when he performs live, perfectly suited-up in a thoroughly retro look – complete with substantial afro, sideburns, and multi-colored bell-bottoms, he often beckons to the audience to sing along with a wide and engaging smile. No language is needed for the chorus of “Amor Infinito” (yea yea, yea yea yea yea) nor to understand that we are experiencing a truly original artist: a thoroughly Cuban musician who comfortably wears the clothing and melodies of recent decades of USA soul. An artist who brings together a series of disparate traditions and lands, fully living up to his birth name – “Puentes” – which after all, means,“bridges”.
