We Europeans living north of the alps can never get enough sunshine. Therefore, the offer to let the Caribbean sun shine on us for just under three quarters of an hour is very welcome. Brenda Navarrete makes the sun shine with her debut album, Mi Mondo, My World, which has been widely recorded in Cuba with local musicians and mixed in the far, far colder Canada. And so much shall be briefly anticipated: recording and mixing result in a first-class transparent sound, which receives the final kick as a high-resolution download. Too bad that the album although including ten songs, is too early coming to its end after only 37 minutes. It only helps to set the player to automatic repetition in order to keep the Caribbean sun in the form of Brenda Navarette continuing to spread good humor.
That Brenda Navarette is of Cuban descent may be heard listening to each of the ten songs, four of which are from the singer's own pen. One does not believe it, but the Cuban has taught herself singing, having already had an extremely successful career as a drummer, especially with the Batà drum, which she discovered with new years and whose playing she refined later at the Music Conservatory. Originally from Nigeria, the Batà drum, which is covered with drumheads at both ends, also plays a role in Cuban music far from Africa. With this drum, Brenda Navarette was active as a member of an Afro-Cuban drumming group and her drum arts were awarded a prize in 2010 at the National Cuban Drum Festival. No wonder the Cuban woman cannot leave the Batà drum behind her also as a singer.
If you want, you can classify what you hear on Mi Mundo under the heading World Music. In any case, Brenda Navarrete combines Cuban folklore with elements of jazz and western pop on her debut album. What is pleasant is that the Cuban predominates, so that the Caribbean sun does not come up short in any of the songs. Also responsible for the extremely well-feeling nonstop sunshine is a whole phalanx of competent first-class accompanying musicians, who build the necessary foundation for the songs in different compositions. Outstanding are Horacio Hernandez, Rodney Barreto and Jose Carlos on the drums, Roberto Carcasses, Rolando Luna and Leonardo Ledesman on the piano, Alain Pérez on the bass, Adonis Panter on the Quinto and Eduardo Sandoval on the trombone.
The songs turn out to be pearls of rhythmically sparkling vocals mostly light as a feather and danceable if desired. Especially shiny pearls are "Baba Elegguà", a song based on primal call and response vocals with a trance-like atmosphere, "Rumbero Como Yo", a rumba-based song with a spiritual feel and "Caravan", extremely creative and free after the eponymous title by Duke Ellington.
Mi Mundo is a thoroughly sun-drenched pleasure that can be enjoyed without the risk of sunburn, and that is a promising debut of a thoroughbred musician who deserves to be internationally perceived.
Brenda Navarrete, lead vocals, coro, batá drums, percussion
Melvis Santa, coro
Luis Orbegoso, coro
Munir Hossn, bass, guitar, percussion
Adonis Panter, percussion, quinto
Osaín del Monte, percussion
Pete Locket, tablas, percussion
Adel Gonzáles, percussion
Guillermo Del Toro, percussion
Roberto Carcassés, piano
Hilario Durán, piano
Rolando Luna, piano
Leonardo F. Gil Milian, piano
Alain Pérez, bass, coro
Michel Salazar Delgado, bass
José Carlos Sánchez Portilla, drums
Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, drums
Rodney Barreto, percussion, drums
Josué Borges Maresma, flute, harmonica
Tommy Lawrie, trumpet
Eduardo Sandoval, trombone