Mango Mangüé

The Vampisoul label is a gem, constantly unearthing surprises, and this fabulous collection rediscovers the Cuban singer– composer El Gran Fellove (aka Francisco Fellove Valdés) whose heyday was 1950s and 60s Havana and Mexico City. Hooked on mambos and chachachás, his repertoire also incorporated rumbas and racy guarachas, and his own dance crazes. Their onomatopoeic titles include the jumpy mambo hybrid ‘Yoyo’ and the ‘Rápido Chachachá’ which abandons all original sensuality. Contemporary doo– wop choruses dip in and out of songs like ‘Baila mi Guapacha’, named after a childhood neighbour and musical collaborator. He honours another neighbour, the tres maestro Nino Rivera who had hits with the now classic ‘Mango Mangüé’ and ‘El Jamaiquino, reminding us that Fellove wrote them at 16 and recorded these wilder versions in 60s Mexico. Backing the songs are dense trombone, trumpet and sax arrangements, with the occasional solo tres guitar nod to Rivera. But the focus is always Fellove's astonishingly versatile vocalising: upbeat or crooning, it rides the rhythms with great skill, drops in scats, or switches to son's husky rawness. ‘Mi Guaguancó’ is a showpiece for his gorgeously flowing, Afro-soul vocals, which are reminiscent of Sam Cooke, a favourite in Havana back then. But his signature style is the original, high-speed scatting which runs through the album. ‘Bómboro Quiñá Quiñá is a model of word-fragmenting boogaloo fun and, like his version of Celia Cruz's classic ‘Mata Siguaraya, rivals even Cruz's tongue-twisting skills.