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Silvio Rodríguez.

One of the greatest symbols of Cuba's new troubadours and an undisputed paradigm of the new Latin American song, Silvio Rodriguez Dominguez (San Antonio de los Baños, 1946) goes beyond the frontiers of space and time to become an anthological figure of universal singing. This high-end poet, bold guitarist, excellent crooner and exceptional songwriter with nearly four decades of nonstop music creation under his belt, has managed to captivate generations of fans that not only belt out and enjoy his tunes, but also throb with each ethic and esthetic presentation staged by this world-class troubadour.

As an original and extraordinarily prolific creator, Silvio's music is ruled by the canons of the national and the universal, the traditional and the modern, but always ingrained in a genuine and staunch way of putting things across, of conveying messages for the whole mankind to hear. Steal a look at his text and you'll find love, commitment, tenderness, faithfulness, rage, consciousness, critique, nostalgia, anger and other feelings invading his music and turning song after song into some kind of well-bidding wager on life and an outcry for a better future.

Songs like The Era Is Giving Birth A Heart, Moonlit, Where Do They Go?, Dreaming Of Snakes, The King Of Flowers, Whirlpool, Unicorn, Hummingbird's Wings, I Give You a Song, Women, Oleo Of A Woman With Hat, I Wish, Expedition, Rendezvous With Angels and scores of other tunes underline his quality as an artist that, no matter the stage he might be on or the audience he's performing for, sweeps the public off its feet.

Miles of international tours and hundreds of songs culled in nearly two dozens albums –some of them with several major national and international prizes tacked on them- Silvio Rodriguez's musical asset has burst apart the boundaries of the national heritage to become a must-have of Hispanic America's musical realm.

The Rendezvous With Angels Album

Produced in 2003 by the Ojala record label and promoted once again through a successful tour recently launched by the troubadour all across his homeland, Rendezvous With Angels is Silvio's latest CD, this time around featuring eleven cuts.

Marked by a chiefly troubadour-like atmosphere and a not-so-bold tone from top to bottom –compared with Expedition, his previous album that went out in 2002- this new CD reeks of a new creative maturity in which prudence and balance are the name of the game.

Adding only a few musical pitches in order to clinch his meditated and cultivated lyrics, this particular compilation sheds light of reflective intimacy on the own and the oblivious, on the need to be faithful to the troubadour's ambience without resorting to hackneyed reiterations. His Cuban-made universality is always on a high note and marked by a personal style that truly make this CD his trademarked anthology.

Dedicated to his daughter Malva and his grandson Diego, Rendezvous With Angels is once again a sincere chant to life from a traditionally philanthropic standpoint. Way beyond his personal placidity and sharp eye to assess his own time, the artist excels in songwriting and takes an inquiring peek into past and present wars that have marred mankind (Rendezvous With Angels), into death (Sinuhé), and irresponsible insanity and human calamity (Little Paper Strip To The Wind). For their part, Camelot and I Want To Sing You A Kiss turn to the inevitable and salvaging presence of love in the middle of a bleak environment. My House Has Been Seized By Flowers, The Legend Of Two Lovers, Leather Letter, What Do I Know? and Prayers round out his latest collection.

Underlining his most troubadour-oriented breath, though, Silvio brought in a few musicians from the turf, who have been closely linked to him in different stages of his career, to collaborate in almost all cuts on the CD. With this little help from his friends, a bunch of different and boldface acts within Cuba's broad musical spectrum that includes the likes of Leo Brouwer, Juan Formell, Frank Fernandez, Pancho Amat, Chucho Valdes, Tata Güines, Jose Maria Vitier, Niurka Gonzalez and Ilmar López Gavilan –these are two young talented musicians- coupled with longstanding pals Noel Nicola, Vicente Feliu and Amaury Perez, the album paints a humble and customized picture of a man who has successfully managed to build on his musical career and put another feather in his cap.

The orchestral arrangements were all made by Silvio himself, revealing the profile of an experienced musician who knows how to put together a top-quality product. A good case in point is What Do I Know?, the album's curtain-downer that goes into tempo with flute whistles and guitar riffs, or Leather Letter, a lament embroidered in cosmopolitan airs blown by clarinets, guitar strumming and keyboards. On The Legend Of Two Lovers, the artist goes back to his roots with more flutes, keyboards, four-stringers and guitars.

Rendezvous With Angels is by far a sort of sacred summoning in which all the contributing musicians sing together for a one-and-only occasion. Wrapping things up, Prayers incites more stylistic chanting on a background dominated by flutes and keyboards, leaving its best starring moments to Silvio's own guitar riffs.

One last detail worth mentioning is that in addition to Silvio's 11 cuts, the CD's front and back covers are beautifully designed with dreamful images that were worked in details by Eric de Haro. The recording and mixing were engineered by the skillful hands of Giraldo Garcia. Putting the whole thing together, it's easy to believe that Rendezvous With Angels is by itself a deluxe cultural offer the public will be waiting for in great anticipation.