Search - Pedro Luis Ferrer :: Rustico

Rustico
Pedro Luis Ferrer
Rustico
Genres: International Music, Rock, Latin Music
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

Not that the health of Cuba's musical tradition was ever seriously in doubt, but if anyone was contemplating a trip to the bedside Cuban troubadour Pedro Luis Ferrer's enchanting new Rustico should put those thoughts to re...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Pedro Luis Ferrer
Title: Rustico
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: La Escondida
Release Date: 2/22/2005
Genres: International Music, Rock, Latin Music
Style: Latin Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 617465650727, 0617465650758

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Not that the health of Cuba's musical tradition was ever seriously in doubt, but if anyone was contemplating a trip to the bedside Cuban troubadour Pedro Luis Ferrer's enchanting new Rustico should put those thoughts to rest. Ferrer specializes in the kind of stately and romantic son that much of the rest of the world associates with the Buena Vista Social Club, but in his hands the music is anything but a museum piece. Ferrer hails from the eastern end of Cuba and draws from some musical styles less well known outside the island, like changui and trova espirituana--the latter a style of singing from Central Cuba--and he throws in some far-flung musical elements as well, like the Peruvian percussion of "Como Vivire, Mi Cholita?" and the marimbula--a larger version of the African mbira thumb piano--that functions as the bass on much of the album. The result is refreshing, with Ferrer's rich tres lines and the lush backing vocal chorus sometimes recalling the countrified Cuban swing of Eliades Ochoa but with a more far-reaching twist. This spirit of reinvention extends to Ferrer's lyrics (translated from Spanish in the liner notes), which may surprise listeners not used to social commentary from modern Cuban songwriters. "I paid for a watermelon yesterday/with a two month salary/that's why my heart/sometimes bursts" sings Ferrer in "Fundamento." In "Congo Vegetariano" he notes the irony of vegetarians in a land where no one can afford meat, proving that at least for Ferrer, honoring tradition includes bringing it into the present. --Ezra Gale

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CD Reviews

Changüisa
Mariela Perez-Simons | NC | 04/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Drawing from traditional Cuban sounds, in Rústico, Pedro Luis Ferrer creates with gusto, bravado, and intelligence a brand new genre: changüisa, a mix of changuí, trova espirituana, and coros de claves. He has also created steamy debates by singing the oppressive feelings Cubans face today, as we can hear in the song "¿Cómo Viviré?" ("How will I live? / If I'm watched everywhere I go/ if my money is worthless/ if I'm alienated and no one listens/...Hunger and waiting are allowed/ Are allowed fear and absence/ Love is proscribed.")"
An absolute knockout
R. J. Marsella | California | 07/11/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Never heard of the man and I picked this up in NYC on a whim. Have not been able to stop listening to it. It's fresh.The vocals and the musicianship blend beautifully and the tunes are gorgeous. For any fan of latin music this is a can't miss CD. Check it out."