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Special edition with mp3s! Just because I felt like it ;)

Many were surprised by the nomination of Colombian singer-songwriter Monica Giraldo for Best Newcomer in the upcoming Latin Grammys, but her soft, jazzy latin pop deserves everyone's attention. Listen to "Por Verte Llegar" and get carried away by the purity of her voice and the delicacy of her music.

Monica Giraldo - Por Verte Llegar mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

Mexican hipster netlabel Poni Republic embraced the acoustic indie pop duo Jóvenes y Sexys from Venezuela. "El Reloj" is a rhytmic pop song characterized by melancholic vocals and soft acoustic guitar, a little gem of a song that promises a lot for the future. Jóvenes y Sexys have only released one EP (Bruno) so far, but you can download it totally gratis at the Poni Republic blog!

Jóvenes y Sexys - El Reloj mp3 myspace

When three different promotors mention the same artist, you can bet something's buzzing. Alonso Brito is a Miami Cuban singer-songwriter with an instantly recognizable deep bass voice. His mixture of Caetano Veloso, salsa and sixties rock still has to grow on me, but it has potential. Check out "Bandolera" from the Santo Bueno EP.

Alonso Brito - Bandolera mp3 buy@iTunes myspace

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Salsa: Fania

UPDATE: It seems I Like It Like That: Fania Remixed also comes as a double CD with the original (hard-to-find) classics, which makes it even more a must-have compilation!

Ever since the legendary Fania Records was brought back to life in 2006, the label has been issuing a steady flow of reissues and compilations. This year two remarkable releases deserve your special attention.

The first is a spotless selection of Fania tracks by jazz guru and worldwide DJ Gilles Peterson. For the first edition of the Fania DJ Series, the British record collector listened to over 200 albums to select and compile 26 tracks. It's the first time he does a latin compilation, and you can feel he purely selected on the sound and spirit of the songs. So even though there are tracks by famous artists like Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Rosario and more, I didn't recognize many timeless Fania classics. This compilation goes beyond the popular songs you've probably heard already, and takes you into the 42 year long history of a very special record label. The amount of instrumental tracks reflect his unability to understand the Spanish choruses, but also gives the record a focus on dance and percussion. So if you're looking to get to know a great label in a completely different way, this is the CD you want. If you want the familiar classics however, look elsewhere!

Ya Yi Ki - Johnny Colon mp3
Album: Fania DJ Series: Gilles Peterson (Fania Records)
buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

The other album I want to talk about is I Like It Like That, a remix collection on which dance scene remixers are paired with classic Fania artists like Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón and Rubén Blades. It's a shy first step into modern music for the label, and many remixes are only subtly changed compared to the original track. But hey, those songs are legendary for a reason! The two Lavoe tracks are real standouts, not only because of their length (over 10 minutes!!) but mostly because his voice is just so great. "Mi Gente" is remixed (very true to the original) by his own nephew Louie Vega, by the way.
Also great is "I Didn't Want To Have To Do It" by Ralfi Pagan in a 4 Hero remix, who finds a good balance between new and original; and the jazzy rendition of Roberta Roena's "Take Five" by Italian DJ Nicola Conte. But the biggest treat for me was finding Brazilian funksters Bonde do Role on this album: Favela Fania!
The mixes with a more dance/techno feel are often quite boring: Bugz in the Attic, SSH and sadly Gilles Peterson didn't do a very good job. But with a good skip button or a strict iTunes selection you'll be the proud owner of some unique interpretations of Fania classics.

Take Five (Nicola Conte Remix) - Roberto Roena mp3
Album: I Like It Like That - Fania Remixed (Fania Records)
buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Festival Report: Antilliaanse Feesten Day 2

Saturday, August 9th

Click above for more pictures. Some are courtesy of tropicalidad.be, you'll recognize them by their sharpness and beautiful composition ;). Dutch version of this article here.

All ready for a second night of caribbean fiesta, I could handle the few raindrops and the dark sky. The queue at the entrance was something else however - the crowd was overwhelming, even on the festival grounds. So I had to skip Amarfis y la Banda de Attake (merengue from the Dominican Republic and frequently featured on this blog), a bummer. Yet another cancellation - Puchy y su Coco Band mysteriously disappeared after they took a bus in Madrid - was the final blow for the festival line-up: on the main stage every band was either a replacement, cancelled or not my taste.

So the night started off in disappointment, but as soon as Gente D'Zona came on stage, it was replaced by awe and joy. The Cuban reggaeton duo only has a small repertoire of mostly similar songs to rely on, but the more exotic and less agressive cubaton had a strong appeal on the salsa-loving audience. A fanatic horde of Cuban girls was lining the front rows and singing along to every word - if you haven't guessed, Gente D'Zona is immensely popular in Cuba. The rest of the tent enjoyed the view of all the youngsters climbing the stage to show off their moves and their bodies - musically there wasn't much to experience anyway.

Afterwards my company and me were listening with a half ear to the sugarsweet bachata pop of Monchy y Alexandra (website) while sipping a cocktail and enjoying the atmosphere. It was raining a little, but nobody seemed to bother: the crowd of 30,000 people from all over the world was here for dancing, singing along, drinking, having fun. The Antilliaanse Feesten are definitely a very laid back festival with an almost tangible positive vibe (if you go next year, be sure to stay camping to be fully immersed!).

Then came the second chance for Son de Cali (myspace). Word of mouth about yesterdays performance filled the Joker tent to capacity - no room for salsa dancing this time, but the Colombian band was in much better shape now they got to know the audience. A phenomenal drummer and percussionist gave the salsa a thriving rhythm not found on their albums - while speedy piano work and great singing improvs fired up the audience.

Headliners Wisin y Yandel had to cancel at the last minute (see previous post), but I was pleased to see Angel y Khriz (website) replace them - I like their softer, more exotic Dominican reggaeton better than Wisin y Yandel's fairly unoriginal bling-bling. But alas the show was a complete disappointment: no live instruments, both rappers just shouting over a bassline (mostly off key as well), and uninspired versions of their hit songs "Ven Bailalo" and "De Lao A Lao". The audience seemed to have fun at least - though many came for Wisin y Yandel and expected a bigger show.

Off to the Joker stage for an unexpected discovery. Djunny Claude is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as such no material for this latino blog ;) But in the wee hours of the Hoogstraten night, he managed to get our tired legs to jump and dance for more than an hour to his contageous soukous music. The show was crazy, disorganized but wonderfully charming - at one moment the whole band dropped on the floor, after which for some reason Djunny started a dancing contest between the Congolese dancers on stage. Probably to show us white people ways of moving our body that we will never grasp. One to watch if you're into world music!

The honors for closing off two days of passionate, border-crossing music were for Carimi (myspace) from Haiti. It was their third time in Hoogstraten, and in this period they seemed to have picked up a lot from US culture. Which might be good for the show, but I came for the lovely, fast-paced compas music from their homeland, not for r&b and hiphop. After a while they did seem to find the right balance, but while they were building an explosive party on the main stage, I was already heading back through the mud to my tent.

This edition of the Antiliaanse Feesten suffered quite a lot from the many cancellations, though many replacements did a very good job. Altogether we had a wonderful weekend of exotic music, and we'll certainly be back in 2009!

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Festival Report: Antilliaanse Feesten Day 1

Friday, August 8th

Click above for more pictures. Some pictures courtesy of tropicalidad.be (usually the sharp ones ;)). Dutch version here.

A beautiful sunset over the Blue Forest in Hoogstraten (on the border between Belgium and Holland) marked the beginning of an exotic night with lots of surprises. The knee-deep mud and the amount of cancellations couldn't ruin the atmosphere at the Antilliaanse Feesten, the biggest Caribbean music festival in Europe: the multicultural crowd was ready to party all night long with dozens of musicians from all over Latin America and the Caribbean.

And the start couldn't be better than with Rocola Bacalao (myspace), an energetic ska band from Ecuador. The nine members jumped around frantically while putting their heart and soul in their trumpets and guitars - which worked very contageous on the crowd at the Cahier Club stage. Their best songs mixed cumbia (and even merengue) with clever lyrics and an incredibly positive attitude - they just wanna have fun. Only when the guitars were cranked up, things got a little too loud and hyperactive for me.

Over at the main stage, Dominican merengue star Chichi Peralta kept us waiting for a while with a strange and totally unsuitable apocalyptic video - not the kind of intro you want for a sexy session of merengue. Chichi himself was hardly behind his percussion set, entertaining the audience while two not very talented youngsters took care of most of the singing. The usually exhilarating merengue was brought routinely, and though Chichi played the crowd quite well he didn't seem to have a lot of fun - maybe he's tired of performing? The multiple power failures didn't help either. Still, the latina girls jumping on stage to show off their dance moves were nice to watch ;)

Meanwhile, Manolito y su Trabuco (myspace) were setting the Joker stage on fire with their Cuban salsa and timba. It always strikes me how Cuban artists seem to have music and rhtyhm in their blood - with great professionalism Manolito and his band spun 15-minute long versions of their timba hits, playing the crowds with accelerations and improvisations. Lots of room for dancing, so all you could do was get carried away. Manolito ended the concert with a whirling "Loco por mi Habana", smiling from behind his piano.

Soca music might not be a focus of this blog, I had to see Machel Montano (website). The self-proclaimed king of soca (and honored with multiple awards at Trinidad & Tobago carnival over the years) has an excellent live reputation, and indeed the show was 2 straight hours of jumping and dancing. Realizing the simplicity of soca music can't carry a show on it's own, and being the pure entertainer he is, Machel brought some variation with r&b and dancehall bits mixed between his own songs. And the audience digged it: 10,000 people jumping and whirling around flags is an impressive sight!

I ended the first night with Son de Cali (myspace) from Colombia, who replaced their compatriotas Grupo Gale. They were visibly tired when they got on stage - and to be honest, starting a concert at 3:45 AM is unearthly late (thanks to accumulated delays - or let's just say, latino spirit). They deserved a second chance - saturday on the Joker stage, and I'll tell you more about that in a few days!

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Salsa: Willy Chirino

Even after all those years of listening to, searching for and blogging about latin music, the genre still has many suprises for me. I was astounded to find out that Willy Chirino, author of the fresh and bubbly salsa "Pa'Lante", is credited as one of the creators of the "Miami sound" that characterized the salsa sound of the first Cuban exiles (after the revolution in '60).

But "Pa'Lante" for some reason emanates the feelgood vibe that's so characteristic for vallenato. It might be the playful accordeon, or the positive message ("Live your dreams!") and the enthousiasm in Chirino's voice. The combination with acoustic guitars and a Polo Montañez-like violin is, on the other hand, typically Cuban. It all combines in a catchy and original pop song that definitely deserves your attention. With a discography of 28 albums and hundreds of songs, there's still much to discover about Willy Chirino...

Willy Chirino - Pa'lante mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon myspace

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Concert: Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Handelsbeurs, Ghent (April 20th 2008)
Click pictures for originals. © Handelsbeurs/Wannabes 2008

Last sunday, the temperature rose above 20°C in Ghent for the first time this year, and I bet the Spanish Harlem Orchestra had something to do with that. The 14-member salsa outfit set the beautifully restored Handelsbeurs on fire with an afternoon of infectious rumba and salsa del Barrio. Maybe you remember SHO from their 2007 album United We Swing, a timewarp into salsa discotheques from the 50s to the 70s (read our review here!)

Lead by pianist/director Oscar Hernandez, the orchestra performed like a well-oiled machine - even a little too routinely at the beginning, when the songs lacked soul. Hernandez himself didn't really have his mind set on the concert, sitting passively behind the piano as if he was more concerned about his wife and kids back home. But all that was more than compensated by the fire and enthusiasm of the three vocalists, Rey de la Paz (in the picture above), Willie Torres and Marco Bermudez, who took turns in impressing us with vocal improvisations, cheesy dance steps and charismatic audience encouragements.


The concert started off politely with a formal introduction of all 14 band members, exactly how United We Swing starts too (here's the line-up: 4 horns, sax, flute, congas, timbales, bongos, bass, piano and 3 vocals). But from "El Tiempo Del Palladium" - about a well-known venue in Harlem - the tone was set: nostalgic but steamy salsa, rumba and guaguanco, uniting the best of decades of Nuyorican music.

"Se Formó la Rumba" was the kickoff for the numerous dancing schools and salsa couples to take over the dancefloor - a very suitable wooden floor by the way. And we were quite bummered that our dance partner couldn't make it :)
We caught a first glimpse of the impressive musical abilities of the band during "Pa' Gozar", when each member was allowed some solo time. Especially the percussionist trio was tight as hell during the whole concert, not missing one beat while chatting and laughing away.


After an hour of intense swinging, the vocalists took a break, and the fierce salsa dura was replaced by jazzy instrumentals. "Danzón For My Father" started with a stirring solo by Hernandez himself, and made us think of the legendary Rubén Gonzales (of Buena Vista Social Club fame). The weak bolero "Espérame En El Cielo" was the only flaw in the two-hour set, but was soon forgiven: the careful tempo building in "Salsa Pa'l Bailador" and the rhytmical rapture of "Ariñañara" brought the concert to an explosive height. Only one bis song ("Sacala Bailar"), but when that bis lasts more than ten minutes and makes everyone go out of their minds, nobody minds!

Thanks to Greenhouse Talent!

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Se Formó La Rumba mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Danzón For My Father mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Salsa: Manolito, Adalberto Alvarez

It's been a while since we had some salsa from la isla - and with that I mean Cuba. Two quite important timba albums were released recently, let's have a look.


Manolito y su Trabuco are still only gaining popularity in Cuba, thanks to an impeccable live reputation. New CD La Habana Me Llama might not capture the essence of the whirling live shows on tape, the production is however crystal clear - I dare to say a salsa record from the island never sounded better. Manolito likes to use unusual instruments for his own style of timba - violins, acoustic guitars, cello, flute - and they especially come out great thanks to the production. Singer Sixto 'El Indio' Lorente puts his heart and soul in the songs, alternating between a painful love for his girl and a melancholic yearning for his capital city, La Habana. The innovative use of intrumentation makes this a quite varied album, and musically Manolito still finds the perfect balance between traditional son and the raw Afro-Cuban energy of timba.

Manolito y su Trabuco - La Habana Me Llama mp3


Adalberto Alvarez is already a bit older, so leaning more towards the son sound, but on Gozando La Habana he shows Adalberto y su Son are still one of the most relevant salsa outfits in Cuba. The horns blare furiously and the virtuous piano play is quite promintent on most of the tracks, making clear this album is made for dancing ("Si No Vas A Bailar"). Although rhytmically varied, Adalberto stays close to his trademark slower-timba-with-son-elements, leaving room for descarga-like improvisations ("Aprende Muchacho") and even a true ballad ("Hasta Aqui Llegó Este Amor").

Adalberto Alvarez - Gozando En La Habana mp3

Also, both a helpful commenter and salsa blogger Billy Bryans got me onto Roberto Liñares Brown, an ex member of Adalberto's band that now lives in Canada. After weeks of intensive internet searching and record store browsing, I still haven't managed to listen to even one song, so I have to believe them on their word that his latest record Que No Se Pierde La Esencia is "just fabulous". Read this review over at Descarga to make you mouth-water even more.

Where to get these albums? Check your local latin music store, or fly to Cuba and buy them there! ;) Here in Europe it proved to be almost impossible, so I imagine in the US you'll certainly miss out on this great music...

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Back on Track: Tropical

Let's get this baby started again! Sorry for our unusually long period of abscence (the culprits were heavy exams, and the well-deserved rest afterwards). A lot has happened in the latin music world since our last post, and during the following days we'll give you an overview of all the great tunes you missed. We start with two great tropical songs.

Los Hermanos Rosario already make infectious merengue and bachata since 1978, and brothers Rafa & Luís Rosario are responsible for many tropical hits throughout the last decades. In fact their album Insuperable (1992) is part of the Holy Trinity that introduced me to latin music at the age of 8 - thanks dad ;) (The other two are Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan and Bachata Rosa by Juan Luis Guerra). And let's not forget the successful solo career of brother Toño Rosario, who had his own share of merengue hits. But anno 2008 his brothers hit back with "Alo", a catchy exotic tune with booty-moving merengue parts and subtle bachata bits. If this doesn't bring the sunshine to your cold stormy winter, nothing will!

José Alberto aka "El Canario" is even more experienced, he's in the salsa trade since the early 1970's, and recognized for his talent for improvisation and his characteristic voice. I'm quite a fan of his vocals - rough, skilled and versatile. "La Calle" has a difficult start, but near the end the improv part really shows José Alberto's abilities.

Get ready for some reggaeton tomorrow!

Los Hermanos Rosario - Alo mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
José Alberto - La Calle mp3

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Salsa: NG2

When I started this blog, more than two years ago already, I wasn't really a salsa aficionado. I only knew salsa from the cheesy, romantic version played on Latin American radio and salsa classes for elderly couples in Europe. But over the years I've learned to appreciate it - the funkier Cuban and Colombian variety, the timeless New York salsa classics, and even the odd Gilberto Santa Rosa song.

But seldom a salsa song had such an instant appeal to me as "Ella Menea". The Puertorican boys of NG2 (which stands for Nueva Generación) bring a sparkling and joyful type of salsa they call salsa jóven - even though they sound as routined as many veterans. The rhythm is fairly typical (maybe a little spiced up) but I especially heard some great use of instrumentation - the deep brass sounds and percussion in the intro, for example. Highly danceable, and you won't forget the earworm chorus. Menealo!

NG2 - Ella Menea mp3

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Salsa: Spanish Harlem Orchestra - United We Swing

In the late '60s and early '70s, New York was at the very heart of the newborn salsa scene. Home to many Puerto Rican immigrants, Spanish Harlem was a melting pot of rhythms, dances and ideas. Each member of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has an extensive history in that scene - they worked with legends like Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe and Tito Puente. Band director Oscar Hernandez joins the talent of 13 excellent musicians in his big-band salsa orchestra, reminiscing the heydays of Nuyorican salsa. Sounds promising? Their previous album Across 110th Street even won a Grammy!

And the new album United We Swing is -dare I say- an essential album for salsa lovers. It bursts with nostalgia, but not the kind you can practice sitting down quietly: this is a dance record par excellence. Most of all it's a tribute to the early salsa clubs - third track "El Tiempo Del Palladium" is even named after one. Maybe the lyrics are not that clever, but who cares? As long as the music is solid! Incessant congas and timbales (courtesy of Luisito Quintero), jazzy improvisations on the piano, and chant-and-response vocals all contribute to a general feeling of positivism, a feel-good vibe.

Examples: "Plena Con Sabor" (try to follow that rhythm with your inelegant white ass) and "Salsa Pa'l Bailador". As the title says, excellent for dancing. Both tracks are intertwined with countless improvisations, several layers of percussion, and stirring trumpets. And as a bonus, Paul Simon signs for a salsa rework of his evergreen "Late in the Evening" - an obsolete track in my opinion, but I guess it'll help sell some cd's.

Conclusion: even for people not easily impressed by big names or elaborate dancing, these sunny tunes are still a great way to start the summer. Hernandez and his all-star orchestra show us classic salsa is still very much alive!

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Plena Con Sabor mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Salsa Pa'l Bailador mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Salsa: Issac Delgado, Manolito Simonet

Let's focus on what's happening in Cuban salsa at the moment..

Nobody noticed when Cuban salsero Issac Delgado fled the island and settled in Florida last year. Though he was living the life of a star, and could travel freely all over the world, he decided to defect to the US because of his artistic integrity.

In Cuba, the Ministry of Culture dictates which way things are going to go in music, literature and art. Everything is channeled, and one can't step out of those boundaries. I didn't feel free to do what I wanted because the ruling system tells you exactly where you can work and what you can do.

An honorable decision, in my opinion. More so because of the 'jinx' that seems to hang over emigrated Cuban musicians: most have seen their career torpedoed after the jump (like Manolín, a.k.a. El Médico de la Salsa).

Issac instantly throws overboard the timba he helped to boom in the early 90's (when he was singer of NG La Banda, pioneers of the fast-paced Cuban salsa rhythm). His first US album En Primera Plana leans more towards the slower Puertorican and New York salsa his new audience is used to. Here's the first single, in duet with Puertorican salsero Victor Manuelle: "La Mujer Que Mas Te Duele". I must say I liked his previous work better, although this is still an ace salsa song if you're into the more romantic stuff.

Manolito Simonet, on the other hand, is still safe and sound on the island. And making some great music in the meantime! "Comunicate" is timba the way I like it: catchy, sexy, and lots of improvisation. No wonder he won this year's Cubadisco Award for 'Best Dance Music'. His orchestra (Trabuco) even manages to make violins sound tropical and sensual, and Manolito himself has a versatile and characterful voice. I feel like travelling to Cuba again this year ;)

Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco - Comunicate mp3 buy@Amazon
Issac Delgado ft. Victor Manuelle - La Mujer Que Mas Te Duele mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Salsa: Tito Nieves

Nostalgia can be a treacherous thing. Great songs can be loaded with bad memories, distorting your actual appreciation. The same counts for awful songs with lots of emotional value: you know you'd hate the track in any other situation, but with such pretty memories attached, you can only love it.

That's about the relationship I have with the songs of Marco Antonio Solís. I agree he's a decent songwriter with an impressive career, but his songs are so packed with romantic clichés (the violins, the way he says "amor", the honey-sweet melodies) that I wouldn't EVER listen to him. That is, if I hadn't lived in a small Guatemalan village for a year, where everybody seemed to love his music, and played it all day through. I can't listen to "Mas Que Tu Amigo" (video) without thinking of my madre postiza watching some telenovela.

So I can only love this cover by Tito Nieves, brushing up the original ballad to an uptempo salsa. Tito has retained the melody and the violins (relentlessly appealing to my sentiments ;)), but added some improvisation to keep things interesting. "Mas Que Tu Amigo" is part of a whole CD of Solís covers - but I don't think I can handle that right now :)

Tito Nieves - Mas Que Tu Amigo mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Salsa: Alberto Alberto

Again thanks to Billy Bryans, a Cuban CD made the way to my mailbox. This time it's salsa, and it goes by the name of Alberto Alberto. Traigo de Todo is his first solo album, but he has an impressive background in several Cuban and Canadian salsa orchestras (read his bio at Mister Bryans' blog).

The title (meaning "I'm bringing it all") quite captures the album: Alberto does the singing, the composing, the improvising, and the gathering of a perfect-pitch band. Whether salsa, timba or ballad, you can hear this is a professional at work. Maybe the Grammy-winning producer Joaquin Betancourt has something to do with it, maybe it's Alberto's experience (both in legendary Cuban bands and in Toronto), but a fact is: this album sounds perfect.

Exactly that is my (only) point of criticism: it's too perfect, if you know what I mean. Especially the ballads lack a certain amount of fire and soul. If all tracks would be like "Tu Canción" - fiery, intense, energetic - this album would definitely be the best of 2007. More tips: "Concedeme un Milagrito", "Traigo de Todo" (the title track), and "Toronto". Still, Traigo de Todo is a promising album by a star in the making.

Alberto Alberto - Tu Canción mp3

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Salsa: Los Cocorocos

I'm in the mood for some salsa! You probably remember my raving review of Los Cocorocos, the ambitious salsa-reggaeton project trying to revive the atmosphere of Puerto RIcan salsa nightclubs in the 70's. "Dos Jueyes" is another great song off the album, pairing rapper Zion with experienced salsero Domingo Quiñones. Seems like Zion is enjoying himself very much, being able to show off his voice in a salsa tune rather than being limited by the conventions of reggaeton. Maybe he's missed his true calling? The song is very danceable, and lyrics are suitable to the dancefloor theme: "Two crabs can't live in the same cave", i.e. two guys can't have the same woman.

If you're in need of more Cocorocos, here's an exclusive behind-the-scenes video. See "Dos Jueyes" being performed live at the Latin Grammys afterparty, and hear Gilberto Santa Rosa, Domingo Quiñones, Zion, Pedro Brull, Voltío and Victor Manuelle speak about what the album means to them.

Domingo Quiñones & Zion - Dos Jueyes mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Lo Mejor del 2006

(Don't forget to participate in our CD giveaway contest!)

It's been a great year for latin music. Well, at least for me: maintaining this blog allowed me to discover beautiful and special music I'd otherwise not even hear of. And nothing more pleasant than sharing those tracks with you, the faithful reader ;)
You'll notice a slight orientation towards rock music in my top lists, but I tried to include all the major genres covered here. There's about an hour of listening pleasure below, so have fun, and ¡feliz año nuevo!

Albums
Rock: Gustavo Cerati - Ahi Vamos



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2006 saw some heavily anticipated rock releases (Maná, Gustavo Cerati, Enanitos Verdes) and the discovery of many new South American favorites (Los Bunkers, Los Tipitos, Babasonicos), but Cerati all beats them effortlessly with this complicated but oh so powerful album.

Pop: Los Amigos Invisibles - Superpop Venezuela



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A disappointing year for pop music, if you're not into Paulina Rubio or RBD. Los Amigos Invisibles came as a breath of fresh air, in a music industry suffocated by overproduced commercialism.

Salsa: VA - Los Cocorocos



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Salsa is back! Dozens of radio stations converted from reggaeton to salsa this year, and not without reason: new efforts (like Los Cocorocos) gave salsa an image boost, a new energy, and a second youth.

Reggaeton: Tego Calderón - The Underdog/El Subestimado



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While the general vibe of reggaeton was turning negative (big egos, dissing, sexism, the lack of new talent, and heaps of money), Tego Calderón blew away all competition with honest, positive and socially conscious songs. On the same onda: the impressive debut of Calle 13. And while "big names" Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Hector El Father were fighting (and delivering mediocre songs), Shakira made the reggaeton beat famous again with "Hips Don't Lie".

Other: Andrés Calamaro - Tinta Roja



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The Argentinian rock legend devoted himself to sensitive tango songs this year. Calamaro effortlessly captivated the atmosphere of the forties on Tinta Roja, not an easy album, but a rewarding one. Special mention: Ojos de Brujo, for their unique blend of flamenco and hiphop.

Singles
Rock:
1) Gustavo Cerati - Crimen (original post)

2) Los Tipitos - Campanas En La Noche (original post)

3) Fobia - Dos Corazones (original post)

4) Gustavo Cerati - La Excepción (original post)

5) Los Bunkers - Llueve Sobre La Ciudad (original post)

Just didn't make it: Pereza, Enanitos Verdes, Babasonicos.

Reggaeton:
1) Calle 13 - Atrevete-te (original post)

2) Paulo FG & Roldan - Te Boté (original post)

3) VA - Noche de Entierro (Nuestro Amor) (original post)

Special mention for spreading Latino vibes throughout the world:
Shakira & Wyclef Jean - Sera Sera (Hips Don't Lie Spanish Version) (original post)


Pop: Jarabe de Palo & Jorge Drexler - Que Bueno Que Bueno (original post)

Salsa: Bamboleo - El Zorreo (original post)

Merengue: Grupo Mania & Elvis Crespo - Echate Pa'ca (original post)

Cumbia: Bonka - El Problemón (original post)

Other: Chambao - Pokito a Poko (original post)


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