After 6-year absence, Ruben Blades returns to music scene new album in tribute to Cuba

Ruben Blades releases new CD after 6-year absence

PANAMA CITY — Famed salsa musician Ruben Blades has released a new album after a six-year absence from the music scene.

The 61-year-old Grammy winner from Panama says the CD, “Songs of Underdevelopment,” is a tribute to Cuba, his mother’s homeland.

Blades says he played most of the instruments heard on the CD recorded in the garage of his Los Angeles home. He says the album is full of simple sounds that reflect Latin America’s popular music.

Blades began working on the album in 2003 but put it aside when he was named Panama’s tourism minister, a post he held until June 30.

In a statement Monday, he says the CD will be sold through his Web site. He plans a tour that will start Aug. 21 with a concert in Puerto Rico.