Cuarteto Patria present son and bolero in a purely traditional lineup but with a virtuosity and passion that makes it sound fresh on each listening. Leader Eliades Ochoa's expressive voice, improvising lines of the sones, caressing the romantic boleros, is beautifully supported by unerring vocal and guitar harmonies and sensuously get-under-your-skin rhythmic underpinnings of bass, bongo and congas. For the listener who doesn't want to invest in the Cuba: I Am Time box set, this is the indispensable post-guaguanco/pre-salsa Cuban CD. ~ Janet Rosen