In 2005, it's almost impossible for a typical, rock-focused music listener to hear a new album of Latin music, be it Mexican, Cuban, South American or Puerto Rican, without thinking, at least briefly, "Well -- they missed the boat on the 'Latin Music' phenomenon a few years ago"... which is, needless to say, a blinkered, almost hilariously ignorant way to think about a vital and hugely popular group of highly divergent musical styles. Of course, the millions who love Cuban music aren't simply going to turn away from it now that it's not the US teenager's flavor-of-the-moment. Of course, accomplished artists like Pedro Luis Ferrer are going to go on producing intoxicating albums, even if your little sister's wall-sized poster of Ricky Martin has been replaced with Fiddy's glowering mug.

To those of you who only dabble in Cuban music (guilty!), Rustico will sound very traditional. It's the music you might hear on a street corner in a Cuban area of Queens: repeating guitar patterns, multi-voiced choruses, light-yet-complicated rhythms and an overarching wistful joy. However, this impression may be misleading: a bit of reading up on Ferrer's approach will give you the strong impression that, among connoisseurs, Ferrer's approach is a bit novel, a bit iconoclastic, even a bit eccentric. Unfortunately, it would be as difficult for most of us to isolate the novel approaches that Ferrer has apparently woven into these tracks as it would be for your dad to understand the intriguingly modern approach that Interpol brings to the standard post-punk Joy Division template. In fact, as the lyrics are in Spanish (though translated nicely in the lyric booklet), we're not going to be able to dive very far beneath Rustico's surface.

But what a surface. Richly marbled, beautifully accented, the instantly danceable, almost addictively hummable melodies that Ferrer and his cohorts toss off with seeming ease are among the most inviting you're likely to hear this year. Let's take "Margarita", for example: as decidedly anglophonic as you may be, you're almost guaranteed to be singing phonetic nonsense along with the chorus within the first minute. The track kicks off with a lightly picked acoustic riff, launches into a series of nuanced vocal excursions, and finally settles into a groove consisting of repeating guitar and background vocals. Over this, Ferrer's throaty lead vocals perform some intoxicating curlicues that make you want to dance. The backing voices, which include the gorgeous soprano of Ferrer's daughter, Lena, provide a rhythmic platform over which his lead vocals (expressive and warm) and guitar work (sprightly and challenging) can climb, weave and explore.

Another highlight is the relaxed, vaguely sexy "Si Alguna Vez", which features Ms. Ferrer's vocals to great effect. Ditto for opener "Fundamento". Pretty much the entire album is a highlight.

Ferrer is an accomplished, and apparently an innovative interpreter of his country's music. While the latter fact may be lost on much of the stateside listening public, the former point certainly won't be. Rustico will make a great addition to any music collection that could use a broader perspective on the world.