Havana Angels

Albumbeschreibung

Completing her Cuban trilogy following 2006's Bossa Blue and 2008's La Historia de Lola, Havana Angels sees Quebec jazz-pop chanteuse Florence K transform her favorite holiday songs into Latino, dancefloor-ready numbers suitable for any time of the year, alongside several attempts to produce some of her own future seasonal classics. Recorded in the Cuban capital with producer Osvaldo Montes, the Canadian tackles vintage festive staples with aplomb, providing a Bacharach-esque lounge pop feel to Elvis' classic "Blue Christmas" with its elegant sweeping strings and flamenco guitar licks, turning Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby," and the Meet Me in St Louis standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" into toe-tapping samba anthems, and adding a subtle bossa-nova vibe to Bing Crosby favorite "I'll Be Home for Christmas." But it's away from the yuletide staples where her sophisticated timeless vocals and impressive musicianship shine, such as her faithful cover version of traditional Appalachian spiritual "Down to the River to Pray," made even more powerful by the guest vocals from Afro-Cuban ensemble Sintesis, and her poignant duet with her mother, soprano Natalie Choquette, on a gentle rendition of Ariel Ramirez's "La Peregrinacion." The self-penned compositions understandably feel second-rate when compared to such well-regarded material, but the gently strummed folk collaboration with guitarist Jesse Cook, "Havana Light," the longing piano-led torch song "I Hear the Bells" and the seductive brass-fused rhumba of opening track "Little Angels" all suggest Florence is capable of matching them in the future. With such a broad range of songs, Havana Angels sometimes strays from its original concept, but pedantics aside, it's a pleasant and charming final installment which doesn't need the excuse of a holiday to be enjoyed.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo