Almadura

From the of, it's clear that Puerto Rican Ileana Cabra (aka iLe) is carrying much anger and frustration on her second album. The pain of Hurricane Maria as well as the recent financial collapse and exposure of government corruption are all present, either directly in the lyrics or through the calls to arms across the album. On ‘Sin Masticar’ she feels helpless, bemoaning those who want to eat without having to chew. Later she tells her fellow Puerto Ricans to wake up on ‘Ñe Ñe Ñé’. She wants action. ‘I'm not going to give up,’ she states on ‘Déjame Decirte’, and she's going to play her part. ‘I am a healer and I will heal you,’ she sings on ‘Curandera’ over rampant Afro-Caribbean hand drums.

Ideologically she is continuing the protest traditions of nueva canción, but musically there is a versatility at play here, moving from slow-burning boleros to rhythmic bombas and plenas, and with Eddie Palmieri adding sophisticated piano to a brace of tracks, including a lithe boogaloo. Dashes of brass here and there as well as the synths adorning the smoky ‘Tu Rumba’ mix things up, though they never get in the way of the sentiment – which is undoubtedly: Rise Up Puerto Rico.