David Álvarez y Juego de manos
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David Álvarez and Mano Game. As one of the most outstanding groups in Cuba for its quality and professionalism, where they chose to rescue traditional Cuban music. In 1989 he joined Pedro Luis Ferrer's group; in the mid-1990s, a period in which he founded the group Juego de Manos, named after one of his first songs full of puns. His first album was Rimasones. Later in 2000, Tumi Music produced Mundo loco, a rhythm show with Caribbean roots.
With the song They are too much, Álvarez won the specialized critics award in the Adolfo Guzmán Cuban music contest. The group fuses Caribbean group styles within the Cuban son and bolero (with elements of guaracha and guajira). This means that bachata, merengue and cumbia groups are mixed in the songs, resulting in "music with a tropical flavor". The soft vibration of the very personal voice of this interpreter, recalls that of Pablo Milanés and José Feliciano, in this lies the success of their performances.
From the pseudo-humor of Juana la Loca, to that of José Daniel, following in the footsteps of his heroes Antonio Fernández (Ñico Saquito) and Faustino Oramas (El Guayabero), Álvarez loves picturesque lyrics with their double meaning game, like those of the lively guaracha Solavaya and El beso. In Mi velorio, a work by composer Oscar Olivera Santiler, a man simulates his own death to find out what his family and friends say about him. Witty narratives like Domingo, with lyrics by Omar Estrada, tells of a man's musings on how the reality of an ordinary Sunday (relatives, unexpected visitors, chores around the house) contrasts with his ideal plan (a few cold beers, while watching a good ball game or even a walk to the field or the beach). And if it is about romance, like the one we find in Love at first sight, and passion like in Forever having you, and in the evils of love like in Pain, then Álvarez fuses within these emotions not only everyday experiences, but also reminds us of some Cuban classics on the theme of love.