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• 01 / 05 / 2010

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What a year, 2009 has been for Omara Portuondo. The beloved Cuban singer released her latest album Gracias, for which she won a Latin Grammy Award, and celebrated 60 years of her career as a singer.

Gracias is a lovely album with a collection of some her most famous songs mixed with others that the artist confesses she always wanted to sing. The album was produced by Ale Siqueira under the Producciones Montuno label.

For the album, Omara Portuondo invited many exceptional musicians such as singer-songwriters Jorge Drexler, Pablo Milanés and Chico Buarque; bass players Avashai Cohen and Richard Bona; pianists Chicho Valdez and Roberto Fonseca; and percussionist Trilok Gurtu, among others.

This really was a very diverse and balanced production. The Nueva Trova movement, to which she has always been very tied from its very first days, can be strongly heard throughout her repertoire, songs such as La era—by Silvio Rodríguez— which became a real anthem in her voice, or a more lyrical and intimate song like Rabo de nube —also by Silvio—musically accompanied by the typical guitar that characterizes trova.

Some years ago she also sang the beautiful Vuela Pena, written by Amaury Perez, which she now retakes with the same original force, intoning its difficult melodic crescendo and its risky intervals.

Many of Pablo Milanes’ songs also appear on this album, including Ámame como soy, a homage to Elena Burke—who also recorded this song— and Tu mi Desengaño, which Omara sings with an amazing feeling.

However, Omara could not fail to include traditional Cuban songs which represent some of the greatest moments of the rich Cuban song tradition: Drume negrita(Grenet), is played using rhythmic and choral tones which turn it into a blues with African influence; Cachita (Rafael Hernandez), featuring her granddaughter Rocio; Cuento para un niño (Rojas Torrente), she emotively sang; Lo que me queda por vivir (Vera), jazzy interpretation; and Adiós felicidad (Ela O’Farrill), with a touch of  modernity.

Works from two non Cuban singer-songwriters works also appear on the album Brazilian Chico Buarque accompanies Omara on his famous song O qué sera, which Omara had previously recorded with Maria Bethania during a tour in Brazil; and Jorge Drexler (Oscar award for best original song for Al otro lado del rio from the movie Diario de motocicleta) is also featured on the disc.

Ariel Jimenez (Omara’s son) sings Nuestro gran amor accompanied by Cuban pianist Chucho Valdez and bass player Cachaíto López.

Gracias is a very Cuban album and very deserving of the Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album. It is an album that cohesively mixes Latin and tropical rhythms, including jazz, rumba, Brazilian samba and Cuban son.
Strongly emerging from among all these rhythms is the clear and beautiful voice of Omara Portuondo, while the title of her latest CD gives thanks, it is us the listener who say Gracias to you Omara!

Source: www.jrebelde.cubaweb.cu