Tiempos

Performer: Ruben Blades
Engineer: Oscar Marin; Alexander Orozco
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Ruben Blades (vocals); Edin Solis (guitar); Ricardo Ramirez (violin, viola); Carlos "Tapado" Vargos (piano, drums, percussion, cajon peruano, bombo leguero, timbales, teponaztle, sound effects). Additional personnel: Gerardo Ramirez, Patricia Gonzalez (violin, viola); Ricardo Ramirez (violin); Angela Ramirez, Gabriela Alfaro (cello); Gerardo "Lalo" Rojas (saxophone, background vocals); Walter Flores (piano, keyboards); Marcos Navarro (electric bass); Reynaldo Cruz, Oscar Cruz (percussion); Ramses Araya (congas, bongos, campana, claves, bata, temponaztle, shekere); Olman Obando, Alfredo Poveda (maracas). Producers: Edin Solis, Walter Flores, Carlos Vargas. Recorded at The Mix, San Jose, Costa Rica. TIEMPOS won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance. "Tiempos" was nominated for the 2000 Latin Grammy Award for Record Of The Year. TIEMPOS stands as one of Blades' most urbane, elegant works. The earthy folkloric meets urban smooth in this colorful summit of violins, saxophone, percussion, and nylon-string guitar with Blades singing his way through all-original Pan-Latino songs. The stylistic landscape stretches from hot New York salsa to traditional Argentine rhythmic gestures, and the tasteful arrangements manage to tie it all together seamlessly. The instrumental "Mar Del Sur" opens with the refreshing, maritime strains of Ricardo Ramirez' violin and Gerardo Rojas on soprano saxophone. It's a dynamic piece that ebbs back and forth between an easy, rolling beat and grand, open spaces with no rhythm section. "Vida" is a lovely salsa cut featuring Blades' typically acute topical lyrics. Its softly-delivered chorus ("Dream of a different world!") is a welcome touch among the verses about self-determination and society's sometimes arbitrary assignment of privilege.

Rolling Stone (9/16/99, p.117) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...an impeccable, rich stew of flamenco, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and obscure regional folk beats and melodies....could be the best Latin record of the year..." Dirty Linen (2-3/00, p.56) - "...exceedingly pretty, instantly capable of seducing the listener with its warmth - but Blades' real forte has always been the lyrics, and this disc is no exception....one of the best discs of his long career."

Panamanian singer/songwriter Ruben Blades is a key figure in contemporary Latin music. He came to New York in the 1970s and entrenched himself in the salsa scene, writing for and performing with a number of key players, and forming a significant partnership with salsa legend Willie Colon. In the '80s, Blades's solo career took off as he set about modernizing salsa with his group Seis del Solar. Around the same time, he embarked on a successful acting career that would continue for decades. Blades's music is often strongly informed by his activist politics, a fact that became duly apparent when he ran for President of Panama in 1994.

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