NOW TORONTO MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 23, 2004
VOLUME 24, ISSUE 4
VENTURA
ELiANA
CUEVAS
(FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION) Rating: ****
Toronto-based Venezuelan singer
Cuevas shows remarkable maturity for such a young performer. Besides
having a thoroughly engaging voice, she refuses to rely on classic
covers, instead writing nearly all the songs on Ventura. These Latin
jazz tunes have the typical maracas, shakers and cowbells aplenty
to get you moving, but it's Jorge Miguel's nylon-string guitar work
that steals the show, most notably on the sublime Luna Llena. Cuevas's
Spanish and English lyrics deal with love and nature but steer clear
of the cheesy clichés that plague many contemporary jazz singers.
She just might be the next Norah Jones. Cuevas launches Ventura
at the Glenn Gould Studio Friday (September 24).
BRENT RAYNOR
|