OMARA PORTUONDO — Flor de Amor (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Flor de Amor is the second World Circuit outing for Cuban diva Omara Portuondo, whose debut for the label topped the world music charts in 2000. This time out, Portuondo and producers Nick Gold, Jerry Boys, and Alé Siqueira assemble a sultry, steamy, and extremely elegant collection of love songs that are steeped in the popular Cuban bolero, rhumba, ritmo, guajira, and mambo traditions, but there is also the airiness of Brazilian pop music in the tunes produced by Siqueira. The players are from three generations of Cuban studio musicians, and include Barbarito Torres, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, Manuel Galbán, Roberto Fonseca, Carlos Emilio, and dozens of others, with a few Anglo players and singers as well. This is one of the most elegant recordings to come from the Buena Vista Social Club set. The album opens with the ethereal "Tabú." It is a song of longing for Africa with a gorgeous clarinet line played by Javier Zalba and a wispy backing chorus that winds around Portuondo; she blends in a Yoruban spiritual chant without breaking stride or upsetting the nocturnal balance of the tune. Jorge Chicoy's trademark electric guitar sound graces many of these tunes, with none so beautiful as "Amor de Mis Amores" ("Love of my life/Lifeblood of my veins/Give me the bloom of hope/Let me tell you the bittersweet truth/Of my suffering..."), with its chorus and entwining guitars and percussion. The classic "Amorosa Guajira" is haunting and tender; it features the singer accompanied only by Papi Oviedo's 12-string. The closing cut is written in Portuguese by Brazilian pop star Carlinhos Brown along with Junior Costa. Portuondo rises to the occasion, and sings this samba-inspired ballad with aplomb -- there is even a subtle theremin line by producer Siqueira! Flor de Amor is a wonderfully seamless, sensually charged, slow burn of an album that is nothing short of a work of art.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Tabú 4:19
Margarita Lecuona
2 Amor de Mis Amores 3:23
María Teresa Lara
3 Alma de Roca 3:35
Lily Batet
4 Mueve la Cintura Mulato 3:35
Alejandro Enis Almenares
5 Junto a un Cañaveral 3:30
Omara Portuondo
6 Hermosa Habana 3:48
Rolando Vergara
7 El Madrugador 3:33
Omara Portuondo
8 Amorosa Guajira 2:23   
Omara Portuondo
9 Habanera Ven 3:28
Omara Portuondo
10 Si Llego a Besarte 3:19
Luis Casas Romero
11 Flor de Amor 3:06
Omara Portuondo
12 Juramento 3:22
Miguel Matamoros
13 He Venido a Decirte 3:48
María Teresa Lara / Rolando Vergara
14 Casa Calor 4:08
Carlinhos Brown
Credits :
Accordion – Toninho Ferragutti
Acoustic Guitar – Swami Jr.
Bass – Orlando "Cachaíto" López
Congas – Miguel "Angá" Díaz
Electric Guitar – Jorge Chicoy
Keyboards, Piano – Roberto Fonseca
Percussion – Carlinhos Brown
Shaker, Pandeiro, Tabla – Marcos Suzano
Surdo, Percussion – Boghan Costa, Léo Bit Bit
Tres – Papi Oviedo

OMARA PORTUONDO — Magia Negra (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Omara Portuonda is the grand old lady of Cuban music. While her early recordings made her a star in Cuba, her participation in the 1996 album and video documentary, The Buena Vista Social Club, brought her to international attention. Her solo album, The Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo, released in 2000, reinforced her status as one of Cuba's greatest musical ambassadors.
A native of Havana, Portuondo was one of three daughters born to a baseball player on the Cuban national team and a woman of Spanish heritage who left the comfort and support of her wealthy family home to marry the man she loved. Her parents' singing provided the soundtrack for her early life. As a youngster, she sang in school choirs and music classes.
Heavily influenced by an older sister, Haydee, a dancer at the Tropicana cabaret, Portuondo attended many of the troupe's rehearsals. When the ensemble found itself short one dancer, in 1945, she was recruited to fill the vacancy. The experience launched her on a career as a dancer and she formed a successful partnership with Rolando Espinosa. Portuondo balanced her dancing with singing engagements with friends, including Cesar Portillo De La Luz, Jose Antonio Mendez, and pianist Frank Emilio Flynn, calling themselves Loquimbambla Swing. The group helped to pioneer the filin style of music that blended bossa nova and American jazz. For a while, she also performed with Orquestra Anaconda.
In 1952, Portuondo joined with her sister and Elena Burke to form a vocal group, Cuarteto d'Aida. The group's sound was established with the addition of pianist and director Aida Diestro and female vocalist Moraima Secada. Although she released her debut solo album, Magia Negra, in 1959, Portuondo continued to work with the group.
Cuarteto d'Aida's fortunes were drastically effected by the Bay of Pigs crisis in 1961. Although they had become frequent performers in Miami, FL, they were prevented from returning as the relationship between Cuba and the United States collapsed. While Portuondo returned to her homeland, continuing to perform with Cuarteto d'Aida until 1967, her sister elected to remain in the United States.
Desafios Although she performed with Orquestra Aragon in the 1970s, Portuondo had settled into semi-retirement by the mid-'90s. Her plans to slow down her career were altered after Ry Cooder, who was in Cuba recording with the Chieftains, heard her sing in 1995. When he returned, the following year, to produce The Buena Vista Social Club, Portuondo was invited to become a featured vocalist with the all-star group. In 1998, Portuondo recorded a duo album, Desafios, with Cucho Valdes. Craig Harris
Tracklist :
1 Magia Negra
Written-By – Harold Arlen
2 Adios
Written-By – Enric Madriguera
3 Oguere
Written-By – Gilberto Valdés
4 Ya No Me Quieres
Written-By – María Grever
5 Llanto De Luna
Written-By – Julio Gutierrez
6 Noche Cubana
Written-By – Cesar Portillo De La Luz
7 Andalucia
Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona
8 Que Emocion
Written-By – Orlando De La Rosa
9 El Hombre Que Se Fue
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Julio Gutierrez
10 No Hagas Caso
Written-By – Miguel Valdés 
11 No Puedo Ser Feliz
Written-By – Adolfo Guzmán
12 Caravana
Written-By – D. Ellington, J. Tizol
Notes
Recorded 1958 in Havana, Cuba