Review | Songlines

Joyas del Guajiro

Rating: ★★★

View album and artist details

Album and Artist Details

Artist/band:

Grupo Polo Montañez

Label:

Lusafrica/Sony

December/2024

The rural Cuban singer-songwriter Polo Montañez, who was killed in a road accident in 2002 only three years after his meteoric rise to extraordinary success was a prolific composer, and left quite a number of songs unrecorded. After his death the group more or less disbanded, but later reformed and have recently recorded a number of these, the ‘Farmer’s Gems’ of the title. The songs are mellifluous, interestingly set, and accompanied by guitar (with some charming solos), bongo and percussion, plus a violin on a few numbers. It’s all quite romantic and low-key, and doesn’t exactly grab the attention – though the three singers harmonise superbly, albeit let down by the lead vocal being mixed uncomfortably low on songs like the otherwise delightful ‘La Suegra’. One must imagine Polo Montañez happy if he knew that his music would survive him so sweetly.

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