From the upcoming CD Toque Natural

So what do we know about the upcoming CD? According to the interview with Limonta last January, the new CD will have 12 songs and each of the singers will have 3 songs. It is also possible that they will include the medley of Ibrahím Ferrer songs that they were doing on tour as an homenaje.

First let me say that as always, Limonta has demonstrated his genius for lyrics. The songs deal with subjects such as pride in being Cuban in Toque Natural, comic figures such as El Picaron who is always borrowing things and never giving anything back, Cuban idomatic expressions such as Mal Tiempo Buena Cara and also the beautiful, romantic lyrics of Lo Prometido Es Deuda.

The arrangements are pure Azúcar Negra. They are in fact more aggressive than what is being produced by some other major groups these days, something for which I am thankful. They are characterized by memorable tumbaos, driving percussion and mambos that stick with you. All the songs I have heard are danceable with the most challenging being the first minute of El Dun Dun. If I have to pick a single favorite from among the songs I've heard so far, for me it is El Dun Dun specifically because it is so hard core.

To conclude, having only heard about half of the songs, I expect Toque Natural to be one of the best dance albums of 2006. So here are my impressions of the new songs that were being performed during the tour.

Toque Natural
Voz principal: Biunaikis Marquetti

Those of  you who keep up with the anteprime at salsamania.it have already heard a clip of Toque Natural in the June selection. For the CD Biunaikis and El Nene sing lead for Azúcar Negra along with a number of other EGREM artists such as Pedrito Calvo, Leo and Leonid - Charanga Habanera, Ricardo Amaray - Manolito y su Trabuco, Amilkar - Warapo, Jannier - Pupy y los que Son Son, Ricardo Leyva of Sur Caribe and his singers, Maite - La Frontera, Triangulo Oscuro and Oscar Leyva - Luna Negra. Quite a line-up for the CD, but in concert Biunaikis sings lead and Ailyn and El Nene also sing lead at times. In this clip you can see how they were starting the concerts with a few bars of No Me Parezco a Nadie to catch the audience's attention and then segueing into Toque Natural.

The lyrics are all about being proud of being Cuban. Look at some of the coros (for the full lyrics click here):

En mi Cuba se puede reír
En mi Cuba se puede gozar
Y en mi Cuba señores
Hay un lalali, un lalala

Que tienen los Cubanos
Un toque natural
Que tienen los Cubanos
Un sello original

El Dun Dun
Voz principal: Biunaikis Marquetti

El Dun Dun can also be found among the April antiprime at salsamania.it. It is a guaranteed hit. And as with all great timba hits, the tumbao will grab you from the first bar. I was listening to it all summer, so I didn't realize until the first time a DJ in Sweden played it at a club that it is a bit of a challenge to dance to at the beginning, especially if you haven't heard it before. But by the middle of the song the dance floor was packed.

El Picaron
Voz principal: Alexei "El Nene" Sánchez

El Picaron is about the person who is always asking to borrow things: a cigarrette, a chavito, a beer, etc. It seems that this is a recurring theme on several recent CDs; Los Van Van's No Pidas Más Presta'o and Pupy's La Borrachera have a similar idea. The song begins with some heavy synth, and has a distinctive tumbao that you will recognize immediately having only head it once.

Somos Dos
Voz principal: Alexei "El Nene" Sánchez

For those who have been in Cuba this is not a new song. It has been around since at least the end of 2004 and is already a well-known favorite of the newer repertoire. It has a signature mambo that I guarantee you will find yourself whistling the next day. I don't know how it will be on the CD, but in concert the percussion was starting off with almost a reggaetón feeling on the introduction, and it sounded good! This just goes to show that when used properly, a dash of reggaetón can add sabor and is not a threat to timba but just another tool used by the bands to achieve the effect they are looking for.

Mal Tiempo Buena Cara
Voz principal: Jorge Luis Arregoitia

Whenever the band performs this song, as Limonta begins to introduce it "A mal tiempo..." and the Cubans in the audience finish up with "...buena cara". Here we have another song with a heavy synth introduction. It gives the song a little of that aggressive feeling that I find this refreshing in today's world of timba-pop and light timba. This song is made for dancing with some nice despelote moments as well.

Lo Prometido Es Dueda
Voz principal: Ailyn Dalleras

When they peform this song in concert, Limonta introduces it as salsa rather than timba. The lyrics are beautiful, but Azúcar Negra is Azúcar Negra, and they have timba in their soul. When the cuerpo ends, the timba begins. Timberos won't feel like this is just a "regular salsa". And Ailyn sings it beautifully with genuine emotion.