Gloria Estefan - Miss Little Havana (2011)

Miss Little Havana is half celebration of the music Gloria Estefan grew up around, half soundtrack to falling in love again with the one you fell in love with in the first place.  Rhythm is everything and everywhere. Gloria's lyrical themes range as broad as the musical traditions she scoops from navigate are varied (Cuba, Miama, Mexico and South America to be exact).

Hair today, hair tomorrow.

Working in sync with Pharrel, and the match is magnetic, she injects so much fervor and zest that was missing from her last album.  Gloria bumps up against her man in the club on the sweat-drenched sticatto of the title track. Punctuated by precise production flourishes, Gloria gets the game going with a smart and fun lyric. Evolving steadily but expertly, it sets the pulse of the album, is exuberant and yet initially feels mild on the surface - it requires the listener to dig deep into both her rueful considerations and the rewarding texture of Pharrel's ear for detail. It's a groove that finds its power in its control and structure. The crisp, undulating and humid rhythms are enhanced by the noticeably deepened, gritty and fully-committed vocals.  The experience is sharply executed, driven by cocktails, sly dance-floor tactics and flirtatiously conceived moments of eye-brow raising humor.  With the hair and the flair, Gloria's lyrical command, grace and sheer bite is the ultimate ignition.  Once again intoxicating when the rhythm gets her.

Gloria has yet to sign on for the new franchise: Housewives of Havana.

Less is much more on the gentle romantic calm of I Can't Believe, which introduces jazzy and mellow piano riffs mixed with some understated Latin lounge aroma, which is formidable in its own right, and rendered so via Gloria's delivery of a gorgeous lyric about catching the same glimpse of another, and herself, all these years later.  This is a truly heartwarming song, and its Cuban inflection helps create an unassuming appearance that only experience could pull off to such a high standard.  A fine pick among the more emphatic contenders for album highlights. Estefan's soothing voice perfectly conveys the strain of being once mudled up in life's obstacles and now finding herself marvelling "isn't life really something?" This moments kills me. The tight rhythm section accompanying the quick step middle-eight is also really something.

The frenzied first single Wepa is a dizzying burst of sizzling attitude. Disrinct, disorientating and highly addictive, it sadly doesn't have a chance in hell of becoming a hit. The song does hit though - it hits you right in the face, if it was more in your face it would give you a rash.  At once startling, the jarring jerks and rabid visceral observations are unexpected and worth getting used to.

Proving it pays to have junk in the trunk, the album keeps peeking in the far reaches of the second half.  The album's zenith, Hotel Nacional is a hilarious standout, and Susan Lucci just won the highest accolade of her career.  Gloria's wry depiction of getting down via flirtatious rhyming is laugh out loud stuff. It's impossible not perk up at such sleek, clubccentric salsa-induced neck-snapping when the alternative is Madonna's unasked-for crotch-thrusting from her own Pharrel-favoured Give It To Me.  Hotel is one of the few songs unassisted by Pharrel, which is a testiment to how much Gloria is giving herself to the record (although the fact that it was recorded in 4 weeks is a little telling in that is has no obvious hit singles).  The point of all the silliness is that you should be moving your body, and you will be.  Whenever the intensity seems to reach a peak, the song retreats and gears up for another charge.

Hands off Gloria.

The modest salsa shuffles of Heat, Say Ay, So Good, Right Away and Make Me Say are further consecutive hip-shakers.  Gloria gets to relax a bit and enjoy the contemporary edge that never deviates from her tradition and warm capabilities.  They have much the same flavour, but importantly have connection.  Cutting to the bone, Time Is Ticking is Reach 15 years on. With more than a hint of velvet to her vocals, where her lyrics fall into well-versed ground it is the deluxe emotional depth I'm most grateful for.  

Sweeter than the rest, Medicine is a tonic of sleek and sharp electronica that injects into the same vein as the best vintage Peter Rauhofer remixes.  I am overdosing on it.  The stoic momentum builds into a surreal unidentified pathos.  Gloria's husky and thickly-textured timbre gets hot and cold, mischievous, rebellious and caring.  The hot to trot Make My Heart Go implements a usurping blend of na na na na's with emphatic club accents, and feels slightly less authentic than Medicine, but it's equally pleasant nonetheless. Synthesizers galore make their presence known throughout the dancefloor dosages of Medicine, Make My Heart Go and Hotel Nacional.  Most impressively of all, Gloria herself remains the focus: smart, vivid and in her exquisite comfort zone.  Indeed the presence of the few songs, bonus or otherwise, that are not produced by Pharrel only thickens the plot.

Because of its ten year exposure, Gloria's belated recording of Let's Get Loud isn't winning many fans, which might be due to the fact that for many it might sound a little exhausted.  It represents where she left off with Gloria! and therefore feels slightly out of place here.  A signature song for J-Lo (co-written by Estefan, but left off her own album), it wasn't even a hit and yet has became a ubiquitous reference point for Latin cross-over pop.  Estefan herself missed the so-called Latin pop heatwave of 1999, ironically led by J-Lo among others (even Geri Halliwell managed to be ready for it without knowing).  Had it been included on Gloria! these doubts would not be considered, and it would have been a sure-fire signature anthem for her at a time when she really needed it.  However, despite lacking the sheer spontaneity and flamboyant virtuosity it would have delivered back in 1998 it is a very welcome recording to finally own.  Contrived as hell, it's a classic hand-bag anthem.  10 years on, Gloria's going to different clubs where you'd get thrown out for that kind of carry on.

Joyful sounds ablaze on a dynamic return to dance.  This is a richly textured document of an original and important voice in modern music.  Miss Little Havan re-captures the bravura that made her such a potent threat in the first place. More chic than extravagant, why bother trying to be anything less?

Rating:

9/10

Gloria Kills It On The Floor - Wepa!

Looking better than ever, Gloria Estefan must be scaring the shit out of Madonna right now. Wepa! is some kind of buzz thing before releasing its full video proper, and certainly couldn't be any more contagious if it tried, and no I don't have a clue what she is on about. All I know is she looks incredible and I am crossing my fingers for remixes so bad that my hands are bleeding. It's certainly not bad though.

Gloria Estefan - Miss Little Havana (Preview)

Can't really say much, it sounds nice and mellow, but I want electronic beats at some point, are you listening Gloria?

Gloria gabs about new album

Apart from the sex ban, I can't wait!

Gloria Estefan on the comeback trail

The Cuban Queen of cougar salsa-disco, Gloria Estefan, is back in the studio recording new music, with Pharrel, to be included on her first English-language pop album in almost a decade. Whilst some may regard Pharrel's recent output to have been rather stale (his work with Madonna did not please many of her fans and music buyers left Give It To Me on the shelf - I happened to think the album cut Incredible was one of the few decent offerings on the Hard Candy album), but the collaboration represents a return to her roots at the very least. Gloria, herself, is a very solid songwriter and I can't imagine her doing anymore than 2 or 3 songs with the Milkshake producer. The photo above made me 'LOL' and I can't wait to hear Estefan gear her swagger to the gay dancefloor once again - welcome back, girl!

Gloria Estefan - Gloria!

Fresh off the heels from Fresh!, dance music's next big thrill was fresh off the boat Cuban superstar Gloria Estefan who released her mighty quite-alright opus Gloria! album, stunning her MOR fans with a record full of fast beats, feminine quips and feirce campness, all combining to revive her career just in time for the pinnacle of cougar disco of 1998-1999 (Diana, Tina, Cher, Madge, Olivia, Bette and Belinda were all at it).

Thrusting herself into gear was the first single Heavens What I Feel, wherein Gloria's craving for a gay disco hit turned her into such a nervous wreck that she failed to even write this one herself. Lubricated with self-esteem issues ('I was not supposed to fall in love with you' she sobs), she doesn't quite have the vocal range for all the notes, but this merely adds to the drama - and the gays do love their drama you see, so job done Glor. Danceable phoniness at it's most, dare I say it, glorious.

Starting with sunkissed cooing, the singer's infectious gurning goes full pelt on the fastlane disco pounder Don't Stop ,which should have been the album's secret weapon, instead it was relegated to being a Spain-only release. Campaining against the male orgasm calls for a weaponry of succinct beats and a militant belief in dancefloor cliches such as 'today is here to stay'. Not even Lonnie Gordon could match the epic request 'don't stop the earth from turning'.

Cringe-fest Oye's male chanting sounds like being gangbanged by a bunch of waitors of all ages when you tell them you don't have any money to pay for their latin cruisine. It was chosen as the second release from the campaign, pre-empting a barrage of bad J-Lo and Marc Anthony singles, Gloria's authentic latin grasp is a little faceless for my liking, but I do love the predatory 'hey boy, I see you looking' verses and tongue-rolling 'can no longer fight it' bridge. In spite of the mess, it's so insistant it would probably only take me 3-4 doubles to drop my pants for it.

On this next track you won't get a squidgier shimmy without having more than one STD. She really surprises me on the hot flush Real Women: I expected something horrid, but the clotted irregular dance beat groove is irresistably ribbed and smooth in equal measure. The song title means nothing to me, thankfully avoiding the fashion to define a real woman in terms of curves and what not, it's still gay-friendly. The emphatic energy is as weightless as the handbag you'll be swinging above your head listening to this whether you have to steal one off an old lady to get one or not.

Feelin' is an easygoing midtempo Lil' Suzy style throbber. It's pleasant enough, and continues the promotion of a consistent gloss throughout the album. Infinitely propped up by Love To Infinity as a bonus track.

Anti-agnes album track Don't Release Me is an unecessary collabo with Wyclef Jean. Estefan's tickly crooning just don't cut this way sadly. Various ploys are used, such as a briefly enjoyable Chic-esque disco section that at least makes the second half vaguely not bad.

The dizzy momentum of speed-ballad Don't Let This Moment End is a pulsating toilet flush of a dance track. It's ironic that by the time of this song's 1999 release that good ol' Glor was already being accused of copying Nana Cher's comeback efforts. Admittedly, it wasn't strong enough for haters to see beyond a supposed tactic of turning to the pink pound for a quick buck. It was also so good that I am worried I may have forgotten to include it in my 3 part best singles of 1998 post. Despite being one of the least adventurous tracks, the track is tempered with flourishes of tinkling piano keys and light-headed strings. Her agony is convincing, with neck-snapping beats encouraging the best out of her on the soggy chorus pledging to keep things going.

If being molested is your thing, Touched By An Angel is another uplifting surge of those everything-is-going-right moments we all strive for. Corny for sure, I just wish it lived up to its title and I felt more violated.

Dodging the ballads yet again, the smouldering Lucky Girl tosses up the same ingredients of Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, which is no bad thing, but the similarity is distracting on the first verse (the mistake isn't repeated thereafter). The chorus' skirt-flapping and sizzling tempo get things going and its stinging piano breakdown sounds identicle to the one of the Almighty single edit of Alexia's genre-defining Uh La La La, which are amazing qualities for any song to feature.

The thigh-chaffing salsa stomper I Just Wanna Be Happy serves as the album's anthemic Go Away/Party Time trump card. How she has pulled this trick off 3 times never fails to amaze me, this was the Single Ladies of its time with Queen of the jungle style tribal callings that Beyonce could only muster if her car broke down right before she reached the drive-thru window to pick up her chicken wings.

Third single from the album Cuba Libre reached #3 in Spain. Compared to the heat that preceeds it, this one's silky groove is a bit too vanilla for me. A solid finish.

The album is a compelling triumph, a latin platter of hot and thumping latin jams and oozing orifice-itching latin jams too. Even if her velvety timbre isn't strong enough on the slower jams, her raw technique on the sleek salsa montuna Oye, gushing lead single and the more willing and faster Don't Stop (sadly not a Kelly Marie cover, cue next post) amongst many others provides enough evidence that she is ready to make it worth it when it counts. A dance album so good it must have scared the shit out of J-Lo.

Skip to: Heaven's What I Feel, Don't Stop, Touched By An Angel, Lucky Girl, I Just Wanna Be Happy