Carretero

Cándido Fabré has proved himself time and again to be one of Cuba's best living soneros. He first attracted attention back in 1983 as the leader of the orchestra Original de Manzanillo, then (from 1993) he continued with Cándido Fabré y su Banda. His cracked, earthy voice seems occasionally strained on this, his fifth solo album on the Tumi label. Newcomers to Fabré might find this disconcerting but it's a voice that's much-loved and unmistakable – fashioned from over 2,000 songs sung in an authentic, ever-inventive way. ‘A sunrise is not dawn, if it doesn’t dawn with Fabré’ went the refrain chanted by fans of Fabré's upbeat mix of son, bachata, charanga and salsa.

As a composer, the man is a powerhouse. There are 15 self-penned gems deploying compelling percussion alongside fierce horn action: the title-track contains an unprecedented trumpet solo courtesy of Manuel Felix Sanchez Martinez, one of the album's 17 musicians. There are heartfelt tributes to Tata Guines and Juan Formell of Los Van Van; some Cubano posturing on the infectious ‘Yo no Viro los Canones’ (which explains that reggaeton is rubbish and that son is the best); and a bit of cheesy, dare-you-not-to-dance Latin pop on closing track ‘Hello Baby’ – which is already an international hit. A multifaceted work by a contemporary legend.