Alex Cuba
Alex Cuba (Caracol)

Alex Cuba arrived in B.C. a decade ago as, fittingly, one of Cuba’s brightest young jazz and son-based musicians. Today he’s one of North America’s top Latin songwriters, blending pop, rock, and Caribbean rhythms. He cowrote eight of the songs on Nelly Furtado’s release Mi Plan. The multi-instrumentalist (guitars, bass, percussion) recorded his eponymous third solo album in Victoria and Havana, and its songs and arrangements are pitched more to a pop-rock audience than his earlier discs were. While it may be a pity that his acoustic side isn’t heard much, there’s no denying Cuba’s mastery of clever hooks, four-on-the-floor dance beats, and catchy melodies.

The lilting, reggaelike “Directo” and raunchier “Que Pasa Lola” are simple-sounding yet tightly constructed and hard to shake. “Gira” is funkier, and there are cool horn arrangements on “Caballo”. On “Tierra Colora” there’s more of a rocky, jazzy, ska-like feel, and Cuba’s electric axe cuts with a punkish edge.

Lyrically, the album is pretty basic and predictably Latin-romantic. “If You Give Me Love” contains the only words in English, and you may wish they were in Spanish like the rest. But when the tune is as beautiful as the more Cuban and folksy closer “Contradicciones”, it doesn’t matter. Musically, this is a high-quality album—shiny, smart, and as sharp as Cuba’s razored sideburns.