Albita's 1997 album Una Mujer Como Yo (A Woman Such As I) was so woebegone that whenever it was nominated for an award, one could imagine the singer praying she wouldn't win. An attempt by the Emilio Estefan, Jr. star-making machinery to turn the fiery Cuban exile into a dancehall diva, Una Mujer Como Yo was an album Albita didn't want to make. Instead, she wanted to record Son — and did, two years ago — although Sony Discos refused to release it.

Happily, the bright Son is now out in the light of day. Drawing on its namesake, Cuba's rich and highly adaptable popular song tradition, the album sees Albita embracing the past with the simply irresistible rhythms of "Medley (Folclor Cubano)"

(RealAudio excerpt) and moving forward with the pop sophistication of her own "Corazón Adentro" (Inside My Heart) (RealAudio excerpt), which opens the album with the singer's passionate but understated vocals being embraced by jazzy Cuban horns and gentle guajiro rhythms.

She nods to the classics with a carnival-inviting version of Moisés Simons' "El Manisero" ("The Peanut Vendor") and an impassioned "Veinte Años" ("Twenty Years") (RealAudio excerpt), the Maria Teresa Vera "trova" ("undying love") song that has become a touchstone for conscientious female Cuban singers. Albita closes with her lovely "El Duende" ("The Goblin"), singing that the spirit of her Cuban past stays with her.