Yerba Buena (band) - Island Life

August 2005 saw the arrival of Island Life, the band's second album. This CD focuses more on hip-hop but without abandoning the band's Afro-Cuban rhythmic heritage.

Tracks :

1. El Burrito
2. Sugar Daddy (single version featuring Celia Cruz & Les Nubians)
3. La Vida La Life
4. Belly Dancer
5. La Candela featuring Orishas
6. Corazon Bandolero
7. Bilingual Girl
8. Fever
9. Bla Bla Bla
10. Cityzen Citysoy
11. Te Estoy Amando Locamente

The popularity of the band has taken the group to play at multiple summer festivals such as Central Park Summerstage, The Hollywood Bowl, The Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal’s Nuits D’Afrique and Tempo Latino in France among others.

Ben Ratliff of The New York Times has described Yerba Buena as “one of New York’s best new dance bands, mixing up the Latin boogaloo of the 60’s, Cuban religious music, some American soul and Fela-like Afrobeat. It’s a history of the transmission of Yoruban culture in a nutshell, and it’s a good party.”

Since Island Life, both Diamantes and Laugart recorded solo albums, with both artists veering closer to traditional Cuban music, while Yerba Buena is yet to release a third CD. Diamantes placed the emphasis on her own compositions, while Laugart recorded the classics "Manicero", "Son de la Loma" and "Besame Mucho", among others.