Me Quité

A gem for Cuban music lovers: a new album from seasoned singer Héctor Valentín, lead vocalist for some of the mightiest Cuban ensembles of the late 20th century ­ Orquesta Revé and Adalberto Álvarez y su Son among them. Celebrated as ‘the tenor of salsa,’ Valentín's own projects have won popular acclaim and this LP boasts enough fiery danceability and starry features to please the fussiest of salseros. The album's 12 tracks, five of them penned by Alberto Tamayo, embrace everything from dreamy son to fast-paced salsa. Tropical arrangements burst with cowbells, claves and horn-sections so bright that – on tracks including the trombone-tastic ‘Ni Contigo, Ni Conmigo’ – you'll be squinting.

Producer Manolito Simonet of the revered Manolito y su Trabaco is the secret weapon here, and his sophisticated sequencing takes the listener from ‘Opening’, a short tune that establishes Valentín's serious vocal chops, through the deceptively simple ‘Sin Clave No Se Puede’, in which Valentín references both himself and fittingly, iconic sonero Beny Moré, to tracks featuring guests including Adalberto Álvarez – ‘Tu Fiel Trovador’ feels like a modern classic. The album's title-track (with its 20k-viewed video) is another highlight, a reflection on homelessness that posits its creator both educator and artist.