• Submitted by: manso
• Editorial Articles
• 04 / 11 / 2011

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J.D. Considine. From Monday's Globe and Mail. Published Sunday, Apr. 10, 2011 12:02PM EDT. In Toronto on Saturday. He has two Junos and a Latin Grammy. He co-wrote half of Nelly Furtado’s last album. He’s got a single on the charts in Puerto Rico right now. But being Canada’s biggest Cuban music star isn’t an easy job, even if B.C.-based Alex Cuba makes it seem that way.

Not a Typical Cuban Band

Whatever image the phrase “Cuban pop combo” might conjure, it probably doesn’t look much like the array of instruments the Alex Cuba Band have onstage at Glenn Gould Studio.

There isn’t a cowbell or conga drum in sight, and the set-up seems odd even by rock power trio standards. Cuba plays his Gibson ES-355 through a suitcase-sized guitar amp while bassist David Marion uses an Ampeg SVT stack that’s taller than he is. And though Max Senitt’s drum kit looks normal enough, he ends up getting more use out of his hand-held shakers than any of his tom-toms.

Hybrid Power

Cuba’s sound is usually described in hyphenates, with “Cuban funk-rock” being one of the most popular, and his two sets in Toronto are nothing if not wide-ranging. Si Pero No layers fluid, finger-picked guitar over a sly, funky bass line, but Contradicciones carries more of an Anglo singer-songwriter feel. Tierra Colora places long, polysyllabic verses over jazzy guitar chords, while Que Pasa Lola builds its chorus on a power-chord riff.

There’s even a cover of Blue Rodeo’s Bad Timing in Spanish, yet Cuba never seems to lose the thread, as his achingly expressive tenor maintains an almost conversational ease regardless of the rhythms.

Spanish versus English

Of course, Cuba’s singing probably seems even more conversational if you understand Spanish, which many of his fans don’t. “I’m getting used to singing to non-Spanish-speaking audiences,” Cuba says at one point. “It’s nice, because if I forget my lyrics …” His laugh says the rest.

Performing in a language most Canadians don’t speak has probably helped Cuba, though, by forcing him to emphasize emotions over words. So when he sang a quietly hopeful song “about peace” during the solo acoustic portion of the show, it was easy to get the point even if you couldn’t translate the title, Unanime (unanimous).

Mr. Showbiz

He may prefer to sing and write in Spanish, but Cuba keeps his stage patter entirely in English and exhibits a wit that often seems more Canadian than Cuban. For instance, when it came time for Que Pasa Lola he introduced the song with a Kinks-conscious quip: “We usually ask if there’s anyone here by the name of Lola – most likely a woman.”

But it’s his guitar heroics that reel in the fans. Cuba may have the smallest amp onstage, but his guitar tone is fat and commanding, lending his finger-picked solos a crowd-pleasing warmth and fluidity that verges on the Hendrixian.

A Rebel Rocker

What makes Cuba unique as a Cuban artist is that he doesn’t work within the musical traditions of his homeland, but incorporates them into a broader pop vocabulary drawing from North American rock and funk (and also Brazilian Tropicalia). And while that blend makes his music more accessible to Anglo ears, it paradoxically adds an unexpected edge to some of the most familiar aspects of his sound. So when he and the band finally shift to English, first for If You Give Me Love and then for an encore rendition of Jason Mraz’s Not So Usual, the effect is electric.

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/music/