Rock Paper Scissors - Alex Cuba, Agua Del Pozo (Caracol Records), 2009 Tour - Alex Cuba Denconstructs Cuban Music Clichés

This year's SXSW featured some of the hottest Latin acts ever to play at Austin's four-day indie music fest. Bands and DJs from Mexico City to Buenos Aires invaded the Lone Star State's hippest burg. One of those performers was an upstart Cuban rockero based in Canada who deftly melds traditional Cuban music with classic rock sensibilities, funk, and the sentimental lyricism and verve of 50s Cuban fílin. Alex Cuba is huge in Canada. His solo debut, Humo de Tabaco, netted him the coveted Juno Award -- Canada's version of the Grammys. Now he's poised to become Cuba's biggest musical export --albeit via Canada -- since the Buena Vista Social Club in the 90s. Of course the difference here is that Cuba offers a contemporary sound along with his youth. His recent stateside release Agua del Pozo (Caracol), is precisely what the title hints at, a refreshingly cool, sonic infusion. There are still some vestiges of Cuban music to be found, especially in the rhythmic structures of some of the songs, but Cuba’s genre-bending fusions and his un-Cuban voice, understated yet warm, soar above the formulas of the past. If you missed him at SXSW you can still catch up with him on some upcoming dates. I recommend not skipping out. After all, a bell-bottom clad Cuban musician donning a mushrooming 'fro while tearing it up on a vintage Gibson is a once in a lifetime musical experience.