El Ultimo Trago

An intriguingly beautiful slow burner.
The Spanish singer is an uncategorisable talent whose repertoire embraces everything from pop to jazz and flamenco to blues and soul. Pedro Almodóvar, one of her admirers, provides the liner notes for this haunting celebration of the 90th birthday of Chavela Vargas, the grand old lady of Latin American song. Accompanied on the piano by the incomparable Chucho Valdes, this Majorca-born singer (of Ecuato-Guinean ancestry) here pays homage to the legendary Mexican singer. When you listen to the smokiness of her timbre, you will understand why Pedro Almodovar has been putting her into his films. Buika has shaken up the Spanish flamenco scene with her emotional vocals and African influences (her parents are from Equatorial Guinea), while Chucho Valdes is one of the finest jazz pianists in Cuba. "El Ultimo Trago", features songs from Vargas's repertoire, reinterpreted by the unique, intriguing duo of very different Latin musicians. It's the finest flamenco-Cuban fusion since Chucho's celebrated father Bebo recorded with Diego El Cigala, a marvellously nuanced piece of work, with Valdes, guiding light of that peerless Afro-Cuban band Irakere, leading the unobtrusive accompaniment: lush Cuban ballads underscored by the husky, powerful Afro-flamenco singer's voice and by the magnificently intuitive playing by the great Havana pianist. "Luz de Luna" receives a sleek, jazz-inflected makeover and "Las Simples Cosas" is quietly authoritative. The result is a stylish, and gently passionate set in which Buika's controlled, powerful and soulful vocals are balanced against Valdes's elegant, jazz-tinged piano. Lagrimas Negras Nina de Fuego