From the west coast—Smithers, some 14 hours north of Vancouver—Alex Cuba returns with his third solo album. And he still hasn’t quite solved the riddle of his own sound. Is his heart in the rock tune, “Que Pasa Lola” or the jump-up, “Tierra Colora”? Perhaps it’s in his funk innovations, the jazzy “If You Give Me Love” or the bluesy “Hoy Para Siempre,” all great songs that end up lost in the shuffle of too much smooth jazz and schmaltzy pop. So, there’s two problems that are possibly related and easily solved next time: not enough focus, too much sweet stuff.
This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2010.
