For many the voice and face of Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer started work on his third album in 2005, but sadly left it uncompleted at the time of his death in August of the same year. Recorded at Havana’s celebrated Egrem studios, with arrangements by pianist Roberto Fonseca and featuring fellow Buena Vista veterans Manual Galban (guitar) and Cachaito Lopez (bass), Mi Sueno is Ferrer’s deeply personal take on the classic Cuban ballad, the bolero.
Ferrer’s remarkable Buena Vista Social Club duet with Omara Portuondo on Dos Gardenias first introduced the world to his considerable talents as a singer of boleros, and Mi Sueno allows him the space to flex vocal chords across 12 typically slow-burning examples of the genre. Tracks include the Ry Cooder-produced Melodia Del Rio, featuring the late great Ruben Gonzalez on piano, Quererme Mucho and Quizas, Quizas with Omara Portuondo. Ultimately the irresistible warmth, charm and spirit of these last recordings represent a fitting tribute not only to a unique and unforgettable talent, but to one of the unlikeliest and most engaging stars to emerge on the world music stage.
