Soneros de Verdad presents

Pio Leiva

Pimienta Records 176 160 516-2

Pio Leiva, Soneros de Verdad with various musicians and additional vocalists and guests

Cuban pure, or as pure as it gets. Pio Leiva seems to have the kind of a voice that uses a cigar in place of a microphone. This is one very old, very groovy grandfather figure. He looks nice, moves nice, and, well, there is something rather cool about an elderly gentleman who can still sway to a beat. Anyone who dug the "Buena Vista Social Club" will love this CD. The moods and impressions are all here, the loping, clopping rhythms, sometimes solemn, sometimes lighter in vein, and the stories all sung with a knowingness that has to be real. This is the sound of son and more besides. Imagine the time after a brief tropical storm - a fifteen-minute downpour that brings relief before the heat again takes possession of your body - you sit on a balcony, drag on a cigar and listen to this music, enhancing to perfection the mood and atmosphere. A time for reflection. Moving. This reviewer can't resist praising the packaging - the artwork and photographs are magnificent. Highly recommended for fans of Cuban music. This is some of the very best.

by Lawrence Brazier

 


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