Kiki Valera is a fantastic cuatro (double-coursed, steel-strung guitar, much like a tres but with one extra string) player. Valera, along with famed vocalist (and childhood friend) Coco Freeman, has delivered 12 original songs that constitute a brilliant debut. Vivencias en Clave Cubana is a fantastic homage to classic salsa. Valera adds some jazz-influenced solos, while Freeman brings a crooning feel to his perfectly executed melodies. The opening track 'Mi Son' starts with a cuatro-led guajeo (ostinato riff present in lots of Cuban music), light percussion and soaring vocals from Freeman. After the first verse, the bass brings in a change of harmonic feel. The bass and percussion enter in rhythmic stabs and exit throughout the song, emphasising the groove and leaving space for Valera and Alexis BarĂ³s' squeaky trumpet decorations.
Later on in the album, we are offered a different feel with 'Para Continuar', which offers interlocking congas and bongos from Pedro Vargas, creating a bubbling texture for Freeman to share a simpler melody. Despite the clear concentration on creating a 'classic' salsa sound, there's enough stylistic variation in this album to make it worth listening to from start to finish.