Vamos a Bailar un Son (Special Edition)

A new record by the greatest living exponent of eastern Cuban traditional son, showcasing again his unmistakeable nasal guajiro voice and vital ten-string guitar, is always a pleasure. Though, as often, the term ‘new’ needs qualification. This record, first released two years ago, this special edition comprises re-recordings of old Ochoa chestnuts from 1980 onwards.

You could say: so what? With a product as perfect as Eliades Ochoa, why bother with innovating? You wouldn't expect Chateau Petrus to abandon claret and come up with some girly rosé for the Kylie Minogue market. And anyway, some of the new recordings are pretty good: the new ‘No Quiero Celos’ maybe can't quite rival the 30-year-old version with Compay Segundo on second voice, but it's super-tight, with a great chorus from the new Grupo Patria vocalists. For novelty there's a guest vocal on an Agustin Lara bolero from regime cultural grandee Pablo Milanes and another by the Andalucian singer Argentina backed by flamenco guitar, though there's nothing as interesting, alas, as Ochoa's recent hit single in collaboration with the young Madrileno star C Tangana. Whatever, if you're not already an Ochoa fan, it's your duty to become one while he's still around, and this record is a perfectly adequate place to start.