The 90 Miles of Gloria Estefan

Have you ever had a Cuba Libre? The drink: cola, rum, lime. “Cuba Libre” stands for a “Free Cuba,” and when asking for this drink in Miami, many bartenders will correct you and point to the fact that Cuba is NOT free. They will do so by saying something like “Eso es una mentira!” (“That’s a lie!”)

So, just a drink, and politics sips in. And so with music: Gloria Estefan’s new release, 90 Millas, comes out today, Tuesday, as a musical tour-de-force sprinkled with cultural and political overtones. With songs like, “Esperando (Cuando Cuba sea libre)” [Waiting (for Cuba to be Free)], this album is not just musically rich and beautiful, but it is also emotionally charged. All in Spanish, this is Gloria’s “roots” album.

When I began listening to 90 Millas, I immediately thought, “Mi Tierra!” [My Land] … I still love her 1993 Spanish-language album, which earned Gloria her first Grammy award. But there was something different here, something more, a lot more. The “90 Millas” title refers to the distance between Cuba and Florida, 90 miles.

Sure, 90 miles doesn’t sound far, but it feels like worlds away to many Cubans in Miami.

Gloria, a Miami resident herself, embarks on this musical journey with an impressive collection of star guests: Carlos Santana, Andy Garcia, Jose Feliciano, Paquito de Rivera, India, Johnny Pacheco, Arturo Sandoval, and others. Emilio Estefan, her husband of 29 years, produced the album.

Gloria is a bilingual and bicultural Latina, and with this production she masterfully allows us to feel the Cuban experience, with club grooves, Afro-Cuban beats, deep folk tunes, sensual ballads and more. All in an album that takes us to a charming old Cuba, albeit with original lyrics and music.

It will make you want to dance.

Some of the song titles: No Llores (Don’t Cry), Me Odio (I Hate Myself), A Bailar (Time to Dance), Volveré (I Shall Return), Lo Nuestro (Our Thing), Esperando (Waiting), and oh, the title song: 90 Millas.

Gracias Gloria, for these wonderful 90 miles of heart-felt music.

Site for the album: www.90millas.com.