CuCuLand

A suitably theatrical spoken word overture – clinking glasses, a call for silencio, the tap of heels and the flare of a match – primes us for her arrival. The first song, ‘Mas Fuerte’, all tango rhythms and drama, shows us why she's worth our attention. Hail, then, to a bona fide new star; CuCu Diamantes, erstwhile lead vixen and songwriter with kick-ass New York funk outfit Yerba Buena and now a solo artist in her own right. It was only a matter of time – eight years, in fact – before Diamantes stretched her glamorous wings and flew the Yerba Buena coop; here, draped in sparkles and feather boas, working whalebone corsets like a Latin Dita Von Teese, she tears into self-penned numbers with post-modern savoir faire and old-school Cuban glamour. Featuring ten multicultural, cabaret-inspired tracks, CuCuLand is quirky enough to appeal to hipsters who like their Latin music left field and funkadelic, and mainstream enough to get the A-list likes of Sharon Stone along to Diamantes’ gigs in New York. No matter that her mix of rock, boogaloo, hip-hop, funk, jazz, Cuban and (deep breath) Antillean rhythms can sound a tad over– produced, especially on the electronica-flecked ‘Still in Love’. Diamantes’ megawatt energy carries this Spanish-language album, whose lyrics – on life, love and reinvention – underline her wannabe status as a pin-up for femme fatales everywhere. Try the sultry son of ‘Mentiras, the spitfire rap that is ‘Alguien’ (with guest Yotuel from Orishas) or the fierce, attitude– laden ‘Show Me the Money.