Golpes Y Flores

With her 5th album Eliana Cuevas has created a beautiful musical love letter to her native land of Venezuela. The award-winning singer/songwriter explains; Venezuelan music is very rich and I wanted to showcase some of what my country has to offer musically speaking. I was keen to feature traditional Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and mix those in with what I do. Cuevas was able to discover and record some of the finest Afro-Venezuelan percussionists in that country, and their contributions mesh seamlessly with those of her A-list Canadian accompanists. Their work is framed within her eloquent original compositions, while Eliana's fluent and pure vocals complete a sound that is both timeless and freshly contemporary. Eliana has never been constrained by genre boxes in her songwriting, drawing freely from jazz, Latin, folk and world music elements. That variety is again evident on Golpes y Flores, as songs range from the sparse and tender ballad Mi Linda Maíta to the dramatic and strings-driven Nunca Jamas, the horns-embellished Despierta and breezy Poderosa, and the full-blooded Latin jazz feel of Seré Libre. Afro-Venezuelan rhythms are a consistent thread on the album, and Cuevas is thrilled at their presence. Once I found these percussionists to record with, we adapted some of the songs I'd already written, as well as writing some new songs around those rhythms. Cuevas draws upon personal experiences in her very poetic songwriting. The album title also possesses a deep meaning, Eliana states. 'Golpes' means hit, often referring to rhythms, while 'flores' means flowers. To me, the title suggests a combination of the sophistication, beauty and gentleness of flowers and the strength and force of the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms. She has certainly done that here, crafting a lovely work that is highly worthy of your attention.