Cuba's Pop Monarchs Release New AlbumHavana

Popular Cuban duo Buena Fe has programmed a series of concerts at Havana's Karl Marx Theater to celebrate the release oftheir fourth disc Presagios (Premonitions).

The third concert isscheduled for Friday, May 12, at 9:00 p.m. and was announced aftertickets for the 5,000 seats at the Karl Marx for this week's Friday andSaturday shows were quickly sold out, reports Granma newspaper.Presagios is a follow-up to the enormously popular album Coranzonero,which consolidated the band at the top of the pop charts.

With this latest effort, Israel Rojas and Yoel Martinez, both hailing from theeastern province of Guantanamo, have kept the Buena Fe sound but addeda few elements of Samba and Caribbean flavor.Israel Rojas, the band's musical director, spoke about these newtouches. He noted that they come naturally to Buena Fe's music anddon't sound at all contrived, "We are from Guantanamo and the Caribbeanis part of our culture."

A special presentation of Presagios took place Thursday at the smallerAtril hall of the Karl Marx Theatre. During the presentation, the videofor the album's first single, Cayendo -directed by Ian Padron-- wasshown.

Elsida Gonzalez Portal, musical director for EGREM, the recordlabel that released the album, spoke about Buena Fe's internationalsuccess, pointing out that with such a sophisticated pop sound andintelligent lyrics they serve as good ambassadors for Cuba's newgeneration of popular music.

Jose Manuel Garcia, the album's producer, said, "Once again the publicwill enjoy great songs and be moved by the lyricism of such songs asCon hijo incluido and Premoniciones."