★★★★★
Cuban vocalist Omara Portuondo made her mark in the 1960s when she embraced the bossa nova music of Brazil then kept a low profile until her rediscovery via the Buena Vista Social Club in 1998, which saw the subsequent release of her Nick Gold/Jerry Boys produced recording. Flor de Amor finds Portuondo in the company of Gold and Boys again, with Ale Siqueira producing five of the 14 selections here...
- www.offbeat.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
Omara Portuondo is the sole female member of the Buena Vista Social Club network and, for me, her duet with Ibrahim Ferrer in the Buena Vista movie instantly gave Wim Wenders' lugubrious film an injection of sexy Cuban attitude. On Flor De Amor (translation: "Flower Of Love") the 74-year-old diva remains in remarkable voice, crooning in a dark, lived-in yet tender voice over a large Buena Vista backing band...
- www.uncut.co.uk
2010-06-19
★★★★★
Omara Portuondo's Flor de Amor (World Circuit/Nonesuch) is just that: a flower of love dedicated to classic old school son and boleros. Had she left Cuba before the revolution perhaps we'd have another First Lady of Cuban song along with Celia Cruz. In her 70s, the former Buena Vista star's voice is strong on this CD, as she improvises over rhythms that make the hips sway and the feet move...
- www.jazztimes.com
2009-11-06
★★★★★
Flor de Amor aims to please. The collection of mostly boleros boasts a band comprising Cubans and Brazilians. Portuondo, well into her fifth decade as a performer, employs subtlety rather than vocal calisthenics to convey deeply felt emotion. Yet the singer still relishes letting go, even if just a little: She does her own version of "Mueve la Cintura Mulata" here, swinging the charanga as fiercely as country-boy guitarist Eliades Ochoa. But the bolero is where Portuondo feels most at home...
- www.globalrhythm.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
No text for this review; see http://robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
Absolutely gorgeous! For those already familiar with the wonderful timeless Cuban sounds of the Buena Vista Social Club, a new album by BVSC's grande dame Omara Portuondo is certainly a welcome sight. She possesses an incredibly potent, elegant voice that elevates any song to soaring new heights, and all of the fourteen songs here more than prove this point. Each note and phrase -- both vocal and instrumental-- is alive with smoky vitality. Okay, 'nuf gushin'! 'Nuf said! Recommended!
- www.aquariusrecords.org
2009-06-05
★★★★★
Omara Portuondo made her solo debut for World Circuit in 2000, three years after her show-stealing cameo with Compay Segundo singing 'Veinte Años' on the block-busting Buena Vista Social Club album. Her solo career actually dates back to 1959 and she's done numerous records, but only World Circuit have given The 'Buena Vista sista' the red carpet treatment and lush settings she really deserves...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2009-06-02