At 22, Daymé Arocena has all the makings of being the next major Cuban star – if her songs are as distinctive as her rich and powerful voice. She’s a follower of the Afro-Cuban Santería faith, and her best material echoes the African-influenced religious chanting she has known since childhood. The opening Madres starts with the twanging of a thumb piano, then a thumping bass line and a dash of funk organ as she launches into the slinky anthem, backed by her own multi-tracked vocals – a technique that also works well on the soulful title track. Elsewhere, she switches to the Latin-influenced El Ruso (about her mother having to learn Russian in Cuba in the 1980s), but much of the album consists of well-sung, more predictable jazz balladry, with a slinky jazz-funk scat workout on Don’t Unplug My Body. Impressive – but more Cuban and Santería influences would be welcome.
