Cuban Candles

Albumbeschreibung

These days, Latin rock frequently means rock en español. The accent might be Mexican (Caifanes, El Tri, Gloria Trevi), Colombian (Juanes, Shakira), Spanish (Bebe, Amaral), or Argentinean (Bersuit), but whatever the accent, a long list of Hispanic rockers have earned a good living catering to the Spanish-language market. On Cuban Candles, however, Latin rock doesn't mean rock en español but rather, bilingual alternative rock/indie rock that fluctuates between English and Spanish lyrics. Linguistically, the Cuban Cowboys do not compartmentalize their lyrics; instead of performing one song totally in English and the next solamente en español, they will frequently go back and forth between the two languages within the same song (with English being the CD's dominant language). And that approach serves them well because on Cuban Candles, lead singer Jorge Navarro (who wrote all the material) reflects on his cultural experiences as a Cuban-American growing up in the United States. In heavily Latino cities such as Miami, San Antonio, and Los Angeles, it isn't uncommon to hear U.S.-born Latinos having very bilingual conversations that might include several sentences in English followed by some sentences or phrases en español; Cuban Candles is a lot like that, and Navarro's perspective is clearly that of a Cubano from los Estados Unidos rather than a Cubano living in Havana. The influences on this risk-taking CD range from Tom Waits and the Pixies to Afro-Cuban music; Cuban Candles is often eccentric and quirky, but Navarro's lyrics can also be quite poignant at times. And even though Navarro is overly self-indulgent on occasion, that isn't a major issue because all things considered, Cuban Candles is an excellent and highly memorable debut from the Cuban Cowboys.

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