Trova

Marta Topferova's fifth CD and third for the World Village label firmly establishes her as a Top Ten queen of Latin American music, especially because of her abilities as a songwriter. Her lissome, seductive but sensible, strong mid-range voice notwithstanding, Topferova goes beyond singing songs of love, reaching out to observations of nature and even street life. She plays a sustainable guitar as well, accompanied by the steady bassist Pedro Giraudo, Aaron Halva on the tres, percussionist Neil Ochoa, and violinist Roland Satterwhite, an exciting group for sure. There's very little dispirited music here, as Topferova chooses a positive approach, and everything crackles with the excitement of wonder and discovery. Also, consider that this project was recorded in the Czech Republic city of Nouzov, an unlikely place for Latin music to be heard, much less produced, but it is near her birthplace of Prague. Songs like the traditional "Camina y Ven Pa' la Loma" ("Come Walk to the Hill"), and the entertaining "Juligan" ("Hooligan") are driven by the celebratory, bright instrumentalists and the clave pulse of Giraudo's bass, the latter in a contradictory tale of a homeless intelligentsia. Others, such as the slower bolero-type love song "La Pradera" ("The Meadow"), the sweet, sullen waltz "Madrugada" ("Dawn"), and the equally glum "Las Luciernagas" ("The Poppy Flower"), with flamenco accents, all have a direct connection to the beauty and mystery of unspoiled nature. Then there's the pretty, churning shuffle "Largo El Camino" ("The Long Road") which is more a Cuban son; "Entre a Mi Pago Sin Golpear" ("Come to My Place Without Knocking") sounds like a happy welcoming of flamenco accordion and violin, when it is really about crossing boundaries; and "Descarga de la Esperanza" ("The Hopeful Jam Session"), which is even more distinctly Afro-Cuban in interactive segments, each taking turns dancing with Topferova's voice, guitar, or cuatro playing. Halva's tres playing is infectious, especially paired with Satterwhite's soaring violin, making for a combination that enhances the alluring quality of the vocalist, who seems quite comfortable and acclimated to music not of her native country. All of Marta Topferova's recording are recommended, but on Trova, she really has hit her stride, and deserves high accolades right alongside contemporaries like Césaria Évora, Lila Downs, and Martirio as a premier diva of world music. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi