In 2021 when Covid-19 was at its peak, music became one of the main allies to overcome those moments of quarantine and withholding. According to Spotify's analysis (the largest music, podcast and digital video service worldwide) the fourth quarter reached a record number of listeners around the globe.<\/p>\n
In June of that same year, an important announcement took place for Cuban music: Manuel Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez, known in the artistic world as \"El m\u00e9dico de la Salsa\" (The Salsa Doctor) left the stage because, in his own words, he had already fulfilled all his dreams. After two decades outside Cuba, mainly in the United States, he returned to the island.<\/p>\n
\"It has been a pleasure, but today I put an end to it. My dreams are fulfilled. Today I officially inform you that I am retiring from music and public life. It was an immense pleasure to make music, a wonderful experience\", Manol\u00edn expressed in his social networks, a sort of farewell letter that left his fans with an overwhelming emptiness in their chests.<\/p>\n
My mother, a die-hard fan, never wore mourning. She kept listening to it at full volume while she occupied her free time in compulsively cleaning the house. There was never a lack of her hits<\/i> in the morning, amid masks and industrial quantities of chlorine, the sound of Jaque Mate<\/i>, Me faltaron cosas<\/i>, Y ahora baila.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
They say that there is nothing like the warmth of home, affection, admiration and nostalgia. These feelings were the triggers for Manol\u00edn to return to the show and give us another of his medical consultations, after almost six months of inactivity in the world of show business.<\/p>\n
\"I did retire at the beginning of the pandemic, but I arrived in Cuba and came back to get involved and reconnect,\" the artist confessed in a live interview on his Instagram account one morning in February 2022.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The summer season began in full force and splendor: the rising temperatures swept through the streets and the Cuban people felt the heat of the season. el calorcito<\/i>. The summer of 2024 was crying out for its soundtrack. Manol\u00edn, once again surprised, this time with the announcement of his album La Calentura<\/i>, tt has a rough taste, light in alcohol, with sweet hints, like pi\u00f1a colada.<\/p>\n
The album touches on diverse but somehow connected themes: heartbreak, emigration, complex relationships, desire, affection, nostalgia and unbridled love. It was recorded at Abdala Studios under the P\u00e1fata label (the same one owned by Alexander Abreu).<\/p>\n
According to details provided to Prensa Latina<\/i>, the album would feature a new orchestra, but with consolidated musicians; \"los chamacos<\/i>",<\/i> as he calls them, expected to return to \"the battle\" in the national music scene. The artist also announced that the premiere to the public would be at the Red Room of the Capri Hotel, the place where he took his first steps in music. Later he confessed to PL that he had a bigger goal, to take it to the iconic Sal\u00f3n Rosado de la Tropical, where you can enter more economically and reach all kinds of audiences.<\/p>\n
It begins with the song of the same name: a song that delights by the instrumental accompaniment and the tempo<\/i> soft of its sound. It tells the story of a man and a woman who lead two completely different lifestyles: while the author wants tranquility and stability, the woman he likes only thinks of leading a life of pleasure, madness and horniness, as the title declares. As the song progresses, the conflict changes, the author overcomes the relationship and is left with the promise that she will look for him \"when you get over that horniness\".<\/p>\n
Manol\u00edn de Cuba <\/i> is the invitation to stomp your feet, it is impossible to listen to it without moving your shoulders at least a little bit. This line is the strong and confident statement of the album: \"neither fame, nor money, I'll stay with my people dancing under the downpour\". It is the closest, the one that most get into the people's conscience, the musician's gratitude to the support that his public has given him for so many years.<\/p>\n
In the case of Quiero verte feliz, ME DIO POR ESO <\/i> and Amor libre<\/i>, the album is faithful to the signature sounds that have defined the \"M\u00e9dico de la salsa\". The songs comply with the style of the album, rooted a little to the same security and the same melodies, notes and catchy choruses. They sin, in part, by the lack of experimentation, since they take character away from the album, detract from its freshness and novelty.<\/p>\n
Antes que todo t\u00fa<\/i> is a melodic salsa, suitable for dancing between two lovers, with a catchy rhythm and brass that lingers in the ear. The saxophone and trumpet sweep away with solos that are too good, take center stage over the other instruments and invite you to get up from your chair and shake your feet to the cry of \"salsa\"!<\/p>\n
Ven a buscarme<\/i> nostalgia grows, the remembrance of the affection and passion of two lovers. The invitation remains in the air, a call to remember all the experiences. The connection between the instrumental and the vocal part turns Ven a buscarme<\/i> in a hymn of memories.<\/p>\n
One of the dilemmas of today's Cuban society can be seen in Un chico pr\u00f3spero<\/i> : the influence of money on relationships. \"There's nothing wrong with liking the good stuff,\" he says almost at the beginning of the song. This clearly speaks of those people who look more at the economic than at the physical or sentimental attractiveness. He mixes social criticism, music and commercials to expose his criteria accompanied by the orchestra.<\/p>\n
H\u00e1blame de las cubanas<\/i> starts with a line that strikes a chord with the consumer, \"I may live in Madrid, I may live in Miami, but I am from Cuba\". The piece may have special significance for Cubans who are abroad and who, despite being far away, continue to miss the life they left behind.<\/p>\n
\"He left not to come back, he left, but as a stranger.\" Me falta La Habana<\/i> as well H\u00e1blame de las cubanas<\/i> begins with a soulful line. \"El m\u00e9dico de la salsa\" saved the last for last as a good thing, the voice of Manuel Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez, the human being, is much more noticeable and moves away from the commercialism that sometimes characterizes Manol\u00edn.<\/p>\n
The album represents a reunion with all his Cuban followers, to connect and to set on fire the dance scenarios of music on the island. According to the words of the author, he recognizes himself as more experienced and mature compared to his dizzying beginnings in the 90's, and he is especially grateful to Alexander Abreu, leader of Havana D'Primera, for helping him in the creative process of the album.<\/p>\n
Its main aspiration is to reach every corner of the country, to be enjoyed and become a distinctive feature of Cuban society. To be listened to by everyone, from \"the prosperous boy\" to the average Cuban who continues to walk wearily under the perennial sun of Havana.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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