Perhaps the biggest surprise about this disc is that it's taken so long to happen.
Bobi Cespedes
has already enjoyed a distinguished career, singing as part of
Conjunto Cespedes
and with
Mickey Hart
's
Planet Drum
. But she's never stepped into the studio under her own name before. On the evidence of
Rezos
, though, it's to be hoped she'll be back there regularly. Born in Cuba, and a Yoruba priestess, she brings a strong Afro-Cuban sensibility to the material here, like
"Obatala,"
named for her orisha. But there's a lot more going on here, like drum loops and some
jazz
licks, along with the more traditional call-and-response vocals. It's all wonderfully melodic, especially the exuberant
"California,"
a paean to her home. The arrangements, by
Oriente Lopez
, are adventurous, using
Rahsaan Fredricks
' bass and
One Drop Scott
hip-hop
drum programming sparingly but subtly, but mostly letting the songs breathe and
Cespedes
' voice shine -- which it does. She positively sashays through
"Nuevo Milenio,"
while the title cut kicks the record off with a deeply spiritual -- but rhythmically irresistible -- chant. At the end of the disc, she offers something even more grounded in
"Ogun,"
a traditional Yoruba invocation with pure Afro-Cuban drumming.
' album might have been a long time coming, but it's more than worth the weight, with its golden mix of yesterday and tomorrow. ~ Chris Nickson