By Li Robbins

Nominated for: World-music album of the year

Why you should know him: Yes, he's originally from Cuba, and no, that's not really his surname. It is a catchy conversation starter, though, particularly for a musician, steeped in Cuban traditional music, who doesn't want to be pegged as a one-man Buena Vista Social Club. Cuba (a.k.a. Alexis Puentes) would rather be known as an original, and his Juno-nominated CD, Agua Del Pozo, mixes in funk, pop and a little jazz, all sung in a voice that's as luxuriantly satisfying as a sunny spring afternoon at the end of a long winter.