File under: Contemporary club music from a new Cuban talent.

Yusa was born and raised in Havana. But the music on her debut disc is a couple of generations removed from the traditions of the Buena Vista Social Club. An earthy singer and songwriter who accompanies herself on guitar or piano, Yusa fuses the passionate flavors of Cuban music with the influences of American jazz and Brazilian rhythms. She writes poetic lyrics that deal with contemporary urban life, romantic relationships and the call of the sea. She cries out to Yemaya, the Orisha sea goddess. She expresses a range of emotions in a voice that goes from velvety softness to a steely edge. She handles wordless syllables with the agility of a scat singer. Roberto Carcasses arranges the songs for a vibrant ensemble that includes sweet strings, a jazzy sax, male and female back-up singers, plenty of guitars and lots of Latin percussion. Having developed her personal style in Havana's intimate corner bars and neighborhood clubs, Yusa and her colleagues represent the new voice of Cuba.

- Wilma Salisbury