For Latin-soul-pop singer Alex Cuba, the one constant is change.
PREVIEW
Alex Cuba
Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $38. Call 780-459-1542
When Alex Cuba started pre-production for his sixth album,
Lo Único Constante, he used a new-found confidence and maturity to keep things simple and straightforward.
"I created an album that was minimalist and you can only do that when you are confident. When you reach a certain level of maturity, you realize less is more. You don't need to choose a full band. You go straight into it," said Cuba.
The confidence he refers to comes from his last album,
Healer. It not only received a Latin Grammy Award for best singer-songwriter album, but was also nominated in the regular Grammy category.
"When I start an album I never have a concept. I would jump into it. I spent two years writing whatever came.
Lo Único's songs started to have a common theme, and I realized the album had an acoustic soul."
There is no one way Cuba composes songs.
"Sometimes it's like someone dictates it in my ear. Other songs can take months to finish. But I need to be in a state of happiness. If I'm conflicted or stressed, I cannot think of music."
For Cuba that magical thing called creativity is bigger than any one of us. It's a part of a universal energy channelling into each and everyone creating a spontaneous connection.
Lo Único Constante – the one constant – was nurtured partly from his childhood roots in Cuba listening to a lot of "filin," a jazz-influenced, romantic song movement that was popular on the island country in the 1960s prior to the Castro regime.
Just last year Cuba and engineer Joby Baker travelled to Havana to film a documentary on Cuban musicians. They retrofitted a fire-engine-red bus, packed it with gear and travelled around the island country recording musicians. As a result, the power and immediacy of Cuba's music is solidly reflected in
Lo Único Constante.
"One level of the album title is that I maintain a certain level of professional quality when I create. The other is reflected in the time we live in. The only constant is change. But I like to remind myself of the freedom in change. I like to think I'm not tied to any rules. The one constant I feel is not to be afraid of new things, of embracing new ideas."
The Spanish sung 12-track is loaded with variety. One track,
Todas Las Cabezas Están Locas (
All Heads Are Crazy), mirrors the insanity of our fast-paced technological world. Instead, the song
En Mi Guitarra is a poetic fantasy piece that paints a picture of magic realism.
"It tells the story of a voice that stayed inside my guitar making me do things. It's very colourful, uplifting and light. It gives you an instant sense of peace."
Lágrimes del Que Llora, recorded in Madrid with flamenco guitarist Jose Carmona, encourages listeners to "move on" from the quagmire of sadness and stop blaming others for our misfortunes.
"Through music I have made a lot of friends and I enjoy a wonderful reputation."
Cuba performs at the Arden Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 4 with three "monster players" – percussionist Jose Sanchez, bassist Yoser Rodriguez and drummer Alain Berge.
