Abelardo Barroso’s voice was a sophisticated instrument, powerful yet emotionally subtle, silken as a pop crooner but eager to slip into the soaring Moorish modes endowed to Cuba by Spanish rulers and the slaves they brought from West Africa. The singer made these recordings in the mid-1950s before the Castro revolution, accompanied by a full orchestra playing Latin dance rhythms at a stately pace, replete with piping flutes and arrangements for violins. Fashions changed after the revolution and Barroso, whose career had seen many ups and downs, faded to forgotten. The 14 tracks on Cha Cha Cha should help restore his place in the story of Cuban music.
