Maykel’s music has a strong base in son and influences of rumba but he is above all considered to be one of the most popular Timba artists having been influenced by bands such as Manolito y su Trabuco, Los Van Van and NG La Banda. His rise to the upper ranks of Cuban timba music is evidenced not only by his band being voted the best Timba group in Italy in 2006 or the prize they won for the best live concert in Paris in 2007 but his continued success with various songs from his 5 albums, with Salsa Mayor working tirelessly to produce more songs for fans around the world. Some of his most well known hits include Recoge y vete, Anda y Pégate, Dale Lo Que Lleva, Mi Destino, Esto esta, Quitame lo malo and Mi Mulata En La Habana among many others.
The lyrical style of Maykel Blanco’s songs range from humorous to serious songs and talk about Cuban life and music as well as love and affection. The attitude conveyed in his songs is typical of timba songs as well as the musical complexity which includes rhythm changes and a strong polyrhythmic percussion base. However, he does have his own style with some songs ending more abruptly than is commonly expected, particularly by dancers, as well as innovations particularly in his percussion style. Maykel himself describes the song Anda y Pégate as a musical experiment which contains “a little of everything”.
There have been some changes in Maykel Blanco’s band in recent years which is not uncommon in such a big orchestra but given his huge success at such a young age let us hope we have many more songs, albums and concerts to look forward to from this amazingly talented artist.
