Con Sentimiento

Born in just 2002 in Güines (just south of Havana), Noslen Noel has already made a name for himself as a lutenist in Cuba and abroad. He toured in Venezuela and Mexico as a soloist at just 15 and has won various prestigious national prizes (a very big deal in Cuba). This debut album, with international distribution – something that many artists struggle to gain in Cuba – sees him take a confident step into the international market.

To many Songlines readers, the lute might evoke the European renaissance, or Middle Eastern instruments of similar construction — I’d recommend Jorge Félix and Barbarito Torres (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) to put the instrument in a Cuban context. Con Sentimiento(With Feeling) is an album comprised of well-known, nostalgic tunes from Cuba’s classic repertoire; think Buena Vista Social Club and their contemporaries, topped off with a title-track composed by Noel himself. As opposed to some albums led by instrumentalists, Noel leaves space for his bandmates, lets singers take the lead on some tracks and demonstrates an incredible ability to support and decorate wherever needed.