In 1958 a 25-year-old singer named Omara Portuondo, a former dancer at the Tropicana Club, broke away from the all-female quartet Las D'Aida and released her debut solo record. Bookended by two Duke Ellington favourites – Arlen & Mercer's ‘That Old Black Magic’ and ‘Caravan’, and with Gershwin's ‘The Man Who Got Away’ squeezed in the middle, it was a showcase of pre-revolutionary music that swiftly saw Portuondo crowned the ‘Fiance of Filin'’. Long famous in Cuba, and with international renown brought by the Buena Vista Social Club, Portuondo hasn't stopped touring or releasing albums. Now, at 84 years of age, she gives us an infinitely better quality version of her solo debut, re-recorded in Havana with a crack band including Cuban pianist du jour Rolanda Luna and special guests such as Brazilian singer Ivan Lins (on ‘No Puedo Ser Feliz’) and reggaeton hotshot El Micha on the sweetly dramatic, string drenched ‘Oguere’. Throughout, superb production by Juan Manuel Ceruto masks any vocal weaknesses, making this a joy from start to finish.