Malena Perez: Cubanita Groove

I love Malena Perez with her sweet voice, Cuban influences, and her fusion of soul, jazz, and electronica. Born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Cuban father and a German mother, Perez grew up listening to stories of her fathers homeland and the sounds of Omara Portuondo, Cecelia Cruz, Flora Purim, and Mercedes Sosa, just to name a few. Melena's voice is not only filled with passion, but clarity, and I think these two things combined together effect her delivery so eloquently. Two of my favorite songs of Melena is “Chasing Butterflies” and “What Do I Do”. Which can both be heard on her myspace page. Read more about Malena on her website and be sure to grab her latest album “Stars” soon!

Above Malena performs a version of Gracias A La Vida, which translates to “Thanks To Life”. I love this song and one of my favorite versions is by Argentinian Singer Mercedes Sosa. It is filled with so much passion that I had to include it along with this post. This song just makes me remember why I love all the flavors of Culture that can be found all around the world. Below is a rough translation that I found...This song is one of my new anthems for life and I will add it to my collection of affirmations to live by!

"Thanks to the life that has given me so much. It gave me two eyes that when I open them, I perfectly distinguish black from white, And in the high heaven its starry background, And in the multitudes the man I love. Thanks to the life that has given me so much, It has given me the hearing that in all its magnitude, Registers night and day crickets and canaries, Hammers, turbines, barking and showers, And the voice so tender of my well beloved. Thanks to the life that has given me so much, It has given me the sound and the alphabet, With the words that I think and declare, "Mother", "Friend", "Brother" and the light illuminating the soul's path of the one I am loving."