The bilingual, acoustic guitar-led “Half a Chance” is one of the standout cuts from Healer, the new LP by Alex Cuba, the self-described “Spider Man of Latin music”. Like the rest of the album, “Half a Chance” represents the two different perspectives from which Cuba approaches his songwriting: as a Cuban-born immigrant to Canada, his music reflects where he’s been and where he’s come from. Cuban and Latin influences are prevalent in his music, but so too are pop and singer/songwriter tropes from North America. For “Half a Chance”, Cuba is joined by fellow Canadian Ron Sexsmith, who provides some nice harmony vocals in the chorus.
Cuba tells PopMatters, “I always enjoy working with Ron. He is in my opinion nothing less than a genius. I sent him the translation of the song from Spanish, and Ron sent the song back to me beautifully written in English in less than 24 hours. His delivery is very appealing, soulful and honest; I just couldn’t ask for more.”
Healer is out on 31 March via Caracol.