Elixir

Ola Fresca is, as their name insists, a ‘fresh wave’ from Brooklyn. The band's singer, songwriter and arranger, José Conde, is a Miami-based Cuban who has little truck with pigeonholes. ‘Music has no boundaries, ’ he affirms and Elixir, his band's third album, blends Cuban son, timba and Puerto Rican-style salsa with impressive ease. With Conde's mellifluous voice pitched somewhere between the legendary Ruben Bladés and Héctor Lavoe, and with the power of twin trombones (a new addition on this album), the band inevitably recalls the combos of Eddie Palmieri and Willie Colón from the golden age of Nuyorican salsa. Just you try resisting, for example, ‘Convivencia’ or the playful, swinging ‘El Niño de la Clave’.

There's not a dull moment on this album, one that confirms that, no matter how the genre evolves, there will always be a place for classy old-school salsa that simply makes you want to dance. This particular elixir slips down a treat.