The reunited Cuban urban music pioneers Orishas have posted the first music from their comeback studio sessions in Havana. The track, judging by a snippet posted with a video on the group’s Facebook page, sounds like a return to their Cuban roots rather than a reflection of the accelerated exposure to international artists and pop culture trends that the island has seen in recent months.
True to its title, “Cuba Isla Bella” is an emotional ode to the island, a swinging ballad that pays homage to Cuba’s vast musical canon of music about Cuba, as well as to Havana’s poetic singer-songwriters and virtuoso musicians, who have not captured much of the spotlight lately shined on Havana.
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And there’s more good news for Cuban music fans: Buena Fe, Issac Delgado, Leoni Torres, Gente de Zona, Laritza Bacallao, Descemer Bueno and Pedrito Martinez are among the collaborators on the song. This could be just the beginning of an Orishas album that will be a Cuban power play, musically speaking.
“[Orishas] was the first band that perfected the mix of urban music and traditional Cuban son,” Orishas’ Yotuel told Billboard in an interview earlier this year. “I think that, with what is happening with Cuba now, it’s time for that music to come back. What I am trying to do with this new phase of Orishas is bring back that Cuban urban sound.”