![]() And come to think of it, neither have we. As always Ochoa preserves the solid traditional base of campesino music throughout the disc, but he's never seemed to be having this much fun before in his post- Buena Vista Social Club outings. Malo sounds like a city slicker in overdrive, Ochoa like the aw-shucks rustic who ultimately out-cons the con artist, while Anibal Avila's laughing trumpet tosses a handful of sand at any perceived sincerity in a thoroughly playful number. Malo and Ochoa's elated vocals bounce off one another like excited electrons orbiting a brand-new element, inspiring both singers to elevated levels of passion despite the comparative cool of the arrangement. The reprise of "No Me Preguntes Tanto" ("Don't Ask Me So Many Questions"), more folkloric than the big-band blowout of the song on Malo's solo CD Today, easily earns its space here. A lovely instrumental reading of the Ernesto Lecuona classic "Siboney" with flamenco overtones emphasizes the ornamented Spanish style of early twentieth-century Cuban compositions and brushes the cobwebs off an otherwise over-recorded chestnut.Ī guest vocal by Raul Malo of Los Super Seven and urban cowboy outfit the Mavericks isn't the bolt from the blue that it first appears, since Malo is now Ochoa's Higher Octave labelmate. And what's that, a bass solo near the end? The next track, "Arrímate Pacá" ("Slide Over Here"), jump-starts with a syncopated vocal section punctuated by handclaps, stutters around an internal coda, gets quiet with a bass and guitar passage, then hops back onto the propulsive vocals with hints of street corner doo-wop. You notice the expansive attitude right away with the rhythmic, freewheeling title cut, whose airy swing rides the updraft of Los Lobos and Los Super Seven member David Hidalgo's acoustic guitar. But Estoy Como Nunca (Higher Octave) lives up to its translated title I Feel Better Than Ever with a relaxed sense of confidence the Santiago de Cuba cowboy takes unusual departures from his Cuarteto Patria oeuvre that end up paying off big. If anything the master of the Cuban country son usually errs on the side of tradition, as on 1999's enjoyable yet slightly stiff Sublime Ilusion. ![]() ![]() Surprise is the one reaction you don't anticipate from an Eliades Ochoa album. ![]()
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