"Mi sueno" is the final album recorded by much celebrated lead vocalist of the Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer. In spite of being well-known among die hard fans of Cuban music, Ferrer was not even famous in Cuba let alone the world outside the isolated Carribbean island until American musician Ry Cooder discovered the veteran performers and made them into international superstars; Ferrer was 69 years old at the time.

Ferrer was best-known for being a great improviser in the Son Cubano style but he always wanted to sing boleros, an other intrinsic style of Cuban music; a bolero is basically a ballad, often with slight jazz tinges, and usually a simple piano (and occasional bass) accompaniment. The great Pepe Sanchez was responsible for developing the genre in Cuba and although the majority of his works are now lost, there exist about a dozen of the original standards which you hear all the time in Cuba.

Ferrer died in August 2005 just before this album was finished but the demos were of such high quality that they could be added to those songs that had already been finished. It was Ferrer's dying wish that work go on to complete and release the album.

"Quizas, quizas" is perhaps one of the more well-known songs on the album, it translates as "Perhaps, perhaps" which was used as the theme song for the television sit-com "Coupling". This version features the sultry voice of Omara Portuondo duetting with Ferrer and a simple piano accompaniment from Fonseca.

The opening track "Dos Almas" (Two souls) is a strong was a jazzy that gradually falls into the repetitive rhythms that typify son music and it makes a misleading introduction to the album because the following tracks then conform much more with the bolero style with evocative slow dance numbers that ooze romance.

Fortunately for those who don't understand Spanish, the CD booklet usefully provides lyrics in both Spanish and English. I thought it was a good idea to include the Spanish lyrics and not only the English because with a basic understanding of Spanish I was able to understand some of the songs and used the Spanish lyrics to fill in the gaps. It's not necessary to understand the lyrics as Ferrer's voice and the instruments work so well together that they can be appreciated regardless of language but some of the lyrics are so beautifully poetic that they are worth looking at. In "Convergencia" (Convergence) Ferrer sings "Dawn of roses and sunrise/Honeyed note pretended by the violin/Romantic insomnia, where love has lived /Woman, that's who you are".

That it doesn't religiously comply with true bolero is perhaps down to the arrangement and production of Roberto Fonseco, a young pianist who joined the Buena Vista Social Club a few years after Cooder picked up on the band and who formed a close bond with Ferrer. Fonseco manages to imbue the boleros with a more modern sound without losing any of the traditional grace and romance. It is perhaps because he was not able to record boleros for so many years that Ferrer was keen to inject his own personal style, something that Fonseca facilitates.

I think it is easier to appreciate the simple arrangements of "Mi sueno" by first listening to the intricate and 'busy' sounds of his other albums. "Mi sueno" is an excellent memorial to the immense talent of Ibrahim Ferrer and one which is bound to please fans of the Buena Vista Social Club. I was lucky enough to see Ferrer perform some of these songs just months before his death and this album captures his wonderful and warm personality and unique musical talent perfectly. This is evocative and romantic late night music and as much a part of the Cuban music scene as the more frequently heard rumbas and cha cha chas.