This particular collection is not simply a musical CD to enjoy listening to. It is also a testament of the decades of cultural fusion that has evolved across the Atlantic Ocean, back and forth from Cuba to West Africa. While it is recorded that Cuban music infiltrated African culture around 50 to 60 years ago, it is worth keeping in mind that there is a strong African presence in the lineage of the Cuban people.

With the movement of slaves and sailors, the hybrid sound became more familiar to all parties involved, and with the eventual introduction of the guitar into African culture, the fusion became firmer and perhaps even more inventive and exploratory.

A lively collection from beginning to end, this album’s most prominent feature is the smooth cohesion of those familiar Latin rhythms and the typically African vocal overlay. Flaunting the vibrancy of the Cuban sound, most of the tracks featured retain strong elements of tribal rhythm, although there are instances where despite being performed by African artists, the song is almost overwhelmed in Latin flavour, such as Congo band 4 Etoiles’ Adama Coly or Angolan Sam Mangwana’s Galo Negro!