Haila Live - Reseña de audio grabación

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2004 by Jesse Varela

(BIS Music)

Cuban singer Haila Mompié shows dynamic and mature vocal skills on Lira, her second solo album. Recorded on May 19, 2002 at the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, this album, produced by reed player-arranger Juan Manuel Ceruto, showcases a riveting Mompié. Special guests include Chucho Valdés, Issac Delgado, Mayito Rivera and the singers from Charanga Habanera. On her self-titled 2000 debut (BIS Music), it was evident that she was on to something. Now the Havana-born singer has found it. There is versatility and personality to the style that she confidently exudes on a bolero duet of Que Te Pedí with Chucho Valdés; on the son montuno Me Voy Contigo with vocalist Mayito Rivera; on the straight-ahead salsa La Sopa en Botella and on the timba Yo No Me Parezco a Nadie. Greatly inspired by Jacqueline Castellanos (La Dama Del Son), Mompié knows what makes a good sonera. With technical facilities in place--intonation, breathing, phrasing--she gets to the heart of a song, expounding its theme with lyrical wisdom. Haila blends a bit of yesterday with today, singing golden era classics like Ignacio Piñero's Sobre Una Tumba, Una Rumba and Emilio Grenet's Drume Negrita, with new school salsa's pop flavor. For contemporary Cuba she turns to Leonel Limonta, who wrote Yo No Me Pareczo a Nadie and the opening and closing semi-biographical piece, Hoy Me Inclino y Les Doy Las Gracias. The supporting musical cast is exceptional, as illustrated by pianist Rolando Luna. Recording engineer Jorge Benítez did a fine job capturing the vibrancy and nuances of the music end audience. The superman of the date, however, is producer/musical director Juan Manuel Ceroto, who provides fine arrangements, directs a vibrant young ensemble and takes some nice solos on sax and flute. Given the output of Ceruto's work in the last five years, he is emerging as the Quincy Jones of Cuba, and truly brings out the best in Haila Mompie in this live performance.