Omar Sosa has gained fame for his stirring piano solos, his mastery of polyrhythms, and his willingness to add rap and hip-hop to his Afro-Cuban jazz music.
Ballads is quite a bit different. Drawn from four of his CDs (
Free Roots,
Spirit of the Roots,
Bembon, and
Prietos), the previously released music is all taken at slow tempos. Most of the ten numbers are moody, a bit introspective, and thoughtful, although there is some heat to be experienced on a few performances. The personnel and instrumentation change from cut to cut, with
Sheldon Brown's reeds (particularly on bass clarinet) being a major asset,
María Márquez contributing a haunting vocal on "Fragile," and two strings being utilized on a pair of numbers. Throughout,
Sosa sounds restrained but powerful, very much in control of this lyrical music. Although it only shows one side of him,
Ballads serves as a solid introduction to
Omar Sosa. ~ Scott Yanow