The latest releases reviewed

PUERTO PLATA
Mujer de Cabaret
IASO Records
****
Living fast, dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse is as far removed from the languorous music of Dominican Republic guitarist José Cobles as Ry Cooder is from manufactured pop. This snapshot of mostly son music, with healthy doses of boleros, rancheras and merengues, will keep the hips swivelling from here to the Caribbean. Cobles (aka Puerto Plata) clearly loves the intricate fingerwork that epitomises this most celebratory of music, while acknowledging its Cuban origins. There's a freshness and spaciousness in the production that will render redundant any attempt at drawing lazy parallels with the Buena Vistas. It's music brimful of sunshine and bawdy sensuality: a sparkling original.  www.iasorecords.com
SIOBHÁN LONG
Download tracks: Sabor de engaño, Baracoa