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Tasting A Few Appetizers On Latin Musics' VAST Menu of Artists...Jun 25 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Hundreds of great musicians playing everything from hot salsa dance mixes to traditional ranch ballads...who are the hottest artists today???
Latin music is such a diverse topic that it's really almost impossible to name the top artists in every genre that makes up what Americans refer to collectively as "latin music". Think about it. If you listen to heavy metal, could you name the top country artists? Jazz artists? I have the same problem. I listen mostly to Tex-Mex music, and only occassionally to other genres. Still, I promise to do my best to sniff out the most important Latin Music artists today. oooooooooooooooooooooooo TEX-MEX: includes tejano, norteno, conjunto Selena: No apologies, Mate! Selena is the best tejano singer ever! I won't even say "in my humble opinion" because it's a fact, Jack! Selena brought vitality to the tejano music scene in the early 1990s with her infectious blend of pop ditties with smoothly synthesized keyboards and urban influences borrowed from everything and everyone imaginable. Selena's best album was undoubtedly Amor Prohibido, although English-speaking audiences have always preferred the posthumously released Dreaming of You. Amor Prohibido just sounds so much more characteristic of Selena's work and it includes almost all of her hottest hits, including "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and the sappy but funny "El Chico del Apartmento 512". Among today's top tejano acts, Intocable is definitely my favorite. I absolutely love their traditional tejano/cojunto sound with its hot accordian and bajo sexto signature. While a lot of people prefer the sound of Intocable's older material, I think their best stuff is their most recent. Es Para Ti is a real tejano powerhouse, but I still think Contigo is the best Intocable album ever -- especially the cathartically stirring "El Amigo Que Se Fue." Ramon Ayala is probably the greatest accordian player performing today (and there are a lot of great accordian players in the border region). Ayala has been performing for more than 20 years and has a huge body of work, although some of his older stuff really sounds dated to my ears. Fortunately, Ayala has kept up with the times and recent releases like Quemame los Ojos are nothing short of wonderful! Los Tigres del Norte have carved a niche for themselves in Tex-Mex music that could probably be more accurately defined as a "cave" since they've become hugely successful with their blend of traditional norteno music with modern societal issues through the age-old device known as the "corrido". Often under fire for singing songs about drug trafficking, undocumented immigration, and similar issues, the Tigres have brought voice to a huge population that both American and Mexican society would rather ignore. If I could listen to just one norteno group, it would be Los Tigres del Norte. The problem I'd face is choosing which of their many powerhouse albums to listen to. My favorites among their recent releases include Jefe de Jefes, Herencia de Familia, and Paisano a Paisano, all of which are rock-solid 5-star albums. Flaco Jimenez is one of those names that goes hand in hand with any discussion of Tex-Mex music. I've heard Jimenez referred to as "the B.B. King of Tejano", and that's not an inappropriate label. Flaco was recording music back when most of today's stars were wearing diapers. He also did a stint with the Texas Tornadoes and has worked with acts as disparate as the Rolling Stones and Emmy Lou Harris. While I often think of Flaco Jimenez as representing "yesterday's" tejano sound, that's not really a fair dismissal since he's arguably still among the most relevant acts out there today, as he proved with last year's release of Sleepytown. Grupo Limite's signature sound is the syrupy sweet (almost childlike) voice of lead singer Alicia Villarreal. Limite was a success right of the gate with their debut album Por Puro Amor quickly going platinum then going on to sell well over 1 million copies with several hit singles, especially "Te Aproveches". I would definitely recommend Por Puro Amor if you're looking for the best single example of the group's work. They've put out several other great albums, including last year's Por Encima de Todo, which includes some great tunes (like "Acariciame"), but that somehow seems to lack the pizazz of the more established work... Little Joe y la Familia is another of those groups that listeners of classic tejano will tell you are "must listen to" artists if you really want to understand what the style is all about. The group was popular from the 1960s through the early 1990s, although recent releases often look like compilations of earlier material. Little Joe won a Grammy in 1992 for 16 de Septiembre. There are times when I really prefer listening to Little Joe over any of the more "modern" tejano groups -- I think it's the group's extensive use of bright horn sounds with an occasional deep tuba setting the pace for a polka or a ranchera. You don't always hear many horns with young tejano groups... Bobby Pulido is another artist who ranks among the most outstanding artists today, mostly because he has an unmistakable country edge to his signature sound and it is most apparent on his english-language songs, which are straight-ahead pure country. I think some of his best work is on his debut album, Desvelado, which includes tunes like "No Se Por Que". oooooooooooooooooooooooo LATIN POP: Thalia is the undisputed queen of modern Mexican pop music, and she recently married Tommy Mottola, president of Sony Records (not her label, by the way) in ceremonies held in New York, Miami, and Mexico City. I sometimes think of Thalia as a young Madonna, but with some class. Most Thalia songs show an enormous energy with fast-moving beats and catchy lyrics. While her recent CD, Arrasando has been a huge hit with some great songs -- especially "Entre el Mar y una Estrella", I really think I prefer her earlier smash hit album Amor a la Mexicana (especially the title cut). Enrique Iglesias panders to the same kind of easy listening crowd that his father, Julio Iglesias, used to resonate so well with. I'm not a huge fan of Iglesias, whose best-selling album, Enrique contains almost half English language songs like Bruce Springsteen's "Sad Eyes" and a duet with Whitney Houston on "Could I Have This Kiss Forever"-- hey, gotta pander to the English-speaking crowd if you're going for "crossover" success! Marc Anthony is one of those artists who the media keep telling us is poised to become "the next Ricky Martin." He certainly seems to have his share of fans who adore him in the same mindless way, although in some ways I hope Anthony doesn't become the same kind of "love 'im or bash 'im" kind of icon that Martin has become. Marc Anthony seems to do a lot of sappy romantic ballads mixed with some red-hot dance tunes. One of his most popular tunes is "Preciosa" off the Desde un Principio release, mostly it seems because of its fond nostalgia for Puerto Rico. Push the right buttons and you're sure to make friends with somebody... Ricardo Arjona has a soft, melodic voice and his music is redolent with gentle keyboards and slow moving, swaying rhythyms. His music often bears an uncanny resemblance to American pop piano masters like Jim Croce, with a few songs moving strongly into sounds reminiscent of Jimmy Buffet. Arjona brings a cerebral Central American sensibility to his music, with often poignant lyrics that touch on issues important in his native Guatamala, and neighboring countries. His most important albums include Si El Norte Fuera el Sur, and last year's release of Galerie Caribe. Marco Antonio Solis was the songwriting genius behind Los Bukis for 20 years. Since 1995, Solis has been solo, doing albums for the Fonovisa label, writing pop hits for many musicians (including Rocio Durcal), and generally working his way to the top of the charts. Solis has a strong pop sound that often resembles American pop groups like the Eagles or Chicago. Probably the biggest hit ever for Solis and Los Bukis was "Tu Carcel", which sold over 1 million copies. His latest CD, Mas de mi Alma, has been out for less than a month. oooooooooooooooooooooooo ROCK EN ESPANOL: Mana Mana's most popular album is probably MTV Unplugged, but I much prefer the more polished sound of Suenos Liquidos, or their earlier works like Donde Jugaran los Ninos. If you like the sounds of Phil Collins, Sting, or U2, then you would probably like Mana since their lead singer, Fher, has a voice that's often a dead ringer for Collins, Sting, or Bono (no relation to Sonny -- Ah say, that's a joke, son). One of my favorite Mana tunes is "En el Muelle de San Blas". Alejandra Guzman has sort of a bad biker chick image and she delivers hard-driving rock and roll, along the lines of Pat Benatar or maybe early Blondie stuff. Guzman has a distinctive, deep throaty voice that is at once rough and seductive. She sounds worldly and knowing, like the way I think of Marlena Dietrich or Mae West. No mamby pamby little teen idol here! Check out Cambio de Piel, or maybe the 2-disc compilation Juego de Exitos. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are not for the faint of heart. This is music for people who like their tunes so loud and cacaphonous that it ticks off everyone in town. I think of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs as Latin America's answer to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. If you like your music LOUD then you want to listen to these guys! Fito Paez is one of a handful of artists who put Argentina firmly on the rock en espanol map. Like Mana's Fher, Paez also somehow manages to sound to me like kind of a cross between Phil Collins and Sting. I like last year's release Abre, especially the almost ephemerally soft sound of the title cut and "La Casa Desaparacida", which I think sounds like some of the old Police stuff. Cafe Tacuba has been around for a few years, but I just bought my first CD of theirs a couple months ago, so I haven't had that long to form strong opinions about them. The album Reves/Yosoy is kind of weird in that it is a 2 CD collection, but each CD is wildly different in sound. It's like they wanted one CD to play around with and experiment with blending influences as disparate as reggae and classical music, and the other to just do straight-up rock and roll. I also can't figure out what the heck is up with some of those song titles, like "11" or "MC". Maybe you'll call it "imaginitive", I call it "one disc that's pretty cool and one that's probably going to be a skeet target pretty darn soon." oooooooooooooooooooooooo TROPICAL: includes salsa, merengue, bachata Gloria Estefan is undoubtedly the ruling queen of all sounds tropical and danceable. She also deserves her title. Her albums often bring a strong sense of tradition and respect for the musical roots of latinos in all of the many different countries that make up the spanish speaking world. While her work is most strongly associated with salsa and its Cuban roots, she also brings in dashes of Columbian styles and even an occasional dash of Mexican ranchera or cumbia. My favorite Estefan album is Abriendo Puertas (especially "Dulce Amor" and the lively "La Parranda"), although her recent Alma Caribena contains a ton of great stuff, like the wonderfully fun and reminscent "Tres Gotas de Aqua Bendita". What I love most about Gloria Estefan's work is that you know every album is going to have at least a couple of great high-energy dance songs! Gisselle has done a few pop albums, but her real forte is merengue, which like its cousin salsa, is very fast-paced, high-energy dance music that just cries out to be played on a warm evening on a tropical beach. Her 1996 release A Que Vuelve is probably her best -- especially the title cut, although she also does an outstanding rendition of K. Santander's classic "Piel Morena". Olga Tanon is another popular merengue artist, although I never really listened to much of her stuff. Her fans will tell you that she's better than Gisselle, although both have very similar sounds. The only CD I own by her is Mujer de Fuego, which contains only about 4 songs that I consider truly "hot", especially "No Me Puedes Pedir," which is my favorite. Son by Four is a relatively new act, but they seem to be very popular. I don't have any of their albums yet, but I've heard their stuff on the radio and on Univision's music program Caliente. Their sound seems to blend American pop or easy listening with a salsa beat. Buena Vista Social Club is one group that I think needs to be mentioned here because of their position as one of the most accessible albums that showcases the traditional Cuban swing band sound. Some people say that artists like Ibrahim Ferrar or Tito Puente are better examples, but what does this gringo know? I like Buena Vista Social Club... oooooooooooooooooooooooo REGIONAL: includes banda, mariachi, vallenato El Recodo is probably the best known and longest lived of the many, many traditional bandas that are popular in Sinaloa. If you like big band music, you might like banda. (Also see my reviews of Graciela Beltran CDs for more info on banda music.) I've recently been hearing El Recodo's song "Y Llegaste Tu" on the radio almost every day... Vargas de Tecalitlanis probably the most famous traditional mariachi group in the world. Vicente Fernandez is hugely popular in Mexico for his traditional ranchera sound. "Ay yay yay yay!" Just when I think it's impossible for a human head to hold a bigger hat, I see a new Vicente Fernandez album cover sporting an even bigger sombrero than the album before... oooooooooooooooooooooooo PERDONAME: I'm sure I've left off dozens of important Latin Music performers. (I hope not your favorite!) I should have mentioned something about all the great norteno groups like Los Tucanes de Tijuana, or Los Tigrillos, and I know that I've just glossed over hundreds of great groups in whole genres like bachata, vallenato, and banda music (What! No mention of Banda Arkangel R-15??!) I'm sorry, but the whole world of Latin Music is just too darn big to cover in one short epinion article. It would take an encylopaedia to do it all justice. Looking for a book idea??  |
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