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The Decade's 10 Best Latin Pop Vocal AlbumsOct 02 '07 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Want to know the 10 Greatest Latin Pop Vocalists of the past decade? Here they are!
Pop vocalists have an amazing number of huge selling records. It's that way in the English-language American record industry, and it's just as true in the Latin side of the business. It's also true that the Latin pop vocalists are likely to attempt English language crossover albums, and its also true that many of them are well known, regardless of the language they use as their lyra franca. Here's my picks for the biggest, brightest, boldest latin pop albums of the past decade. Give 'em a listen! 1. Marc "Mr. Jennifer Lopez" Anthony --- Libre Salsa has always been a fertile ground for latin artists aiming for mainstream American crossover success, and it's certainly working out that way for Marc Anthony. Libre is Anthony's strongest, boldest album of the past decade --- an album that lets him cut loose with everything he's got, working totally in spanish, where the language works a lyrical magic all its own. The album was a huge success for Anthony as well, garnering him nominations for Best Salsa album in both the Latin Grammies and the regular ole garden variety Grammies. Key hits off this album are Celos, which is a brilliant display of raw salsa power, and Viviendo, a vocal-heavy crooner that lets the world know that its his vocal talents that set Anthony apart from the pack. 2. Enrique Iglesias --- Cosas del Amor Women love Enrique Iglesias and his smooth, robust romantic ballads. They make me gag, but they seem to make young women swoon and throw used underwear at Iglesias's feet, so maybe there's something to this sappy love song stuff after all. I dunno. I will admit that if it's smooth, R&B tinged pop ballads you're looking for, then you won't go wrong with an Enrique Iglesias album, and Cosas del Amor is almost certainly the best Enrique the Love Machine has ever churned out. 3. Christina Aguilera --- Mi Reflejo If you like young blonde bombshells who can sing, then you probably already know about Christina Aguilera. She's often compared to Britney Spears, but Aguilera isn't a total ditz, and the R&B influences you hear on this album will convince you of that. The album is surprisingly listenable for an album that's too heavy on the translated-from-English tracks, and the passionate delivery and impressive range will convince you that Aguilera is a pop vocalist to be taken seriously for the long haul. 4. Laura Pausini --- Yo Canto She's hot. She's young. She's smart and sassy. And she's as comfortable spinning out a disc in Spanish as she is doing it in Italian. What a babe! Regardless of what language you buy this album in, you'll be taken with her stunningly soft and seductive vocal style. Pausini certainly deserved her Grammy, and anybody who appreciates powerful female pop vocals is going to want to give a listen to Yo Canto! 5. Obie Bermudez --- Confesiones He's young and hip, he looks better than Enrique Iglesias and his music is better to boot. And if you don't believe it, buy this album and give a listen to Antes. Yeah, yeah, most of his stuff is still sappy love songs, just like with every other pop vocalist in the world, but Antes has a dash of soul and salsa to it. 6. Chayanne --- Chayanne Puerto Rican boy-band alumni Chayanne (whose mama calls him "Elmer Figueroa Arce" --- no freakin' wonder he goes by "Chayanne") deals out a bit more energy than most pop vocalists, but he's still a hearthrob who croons out the sap, slow and sticky. Chayenne had quite a few hits off this extremely solid pop album, including Candela, Yo Te Amo and of course, Simplamente --- a song that was as catchy as it was overplayed on latin pop radio stations everywhere. 7. Rosario --- Muchas Flores I can't believe I once thought about Rosario as being just another salsa-based pop singer. She really infuses her music with a much wider pallette of musical influences, from the percussion-laden flamenco influences of Spain to the the grinding guitar riffs of a great rock anthem, poking its riffs out from the most unexpected place. The unifying force across the entire album is Rosario's dynamic vocals. A breath of fresh air. 8. Luis Miguel --- Amarte Es Un Placer Sometimes I think Luis Miguel is such a prototypical latin crooner that he practically spoofs himself. There's really not a lot of groundbreaking material on Amarte Es Un Placer, but fans who've stuck with his romantic love songs over the decades will almost certainly agree that this album is one of the most solid and consistent works in his discography, and definitely his top work of the past decade. Mourning and wistful regret seem to be his trade in stock, and tunes like Tu Mirada and Soy Yo play to the soft hearted. 9. Alejandro Sanz --- Mas Passionate vocals and soft melodies are what you get with Alejandro Sanz, one of Spain's most popular pop vocalists. With powerfully emotive ballads like Siempre es de Noche and Corazon Partio, Mas has become one of Sanz's defining and most enduring works. 10. Jaci Velasquez --- Llegar a Ti I might have a biased perspective on this chica's popularity since she's a native Houstonian and of course every pop station in the city plays the bejeezus out of her stuff, but the Billboard award for top latin female pop artist and the slew of Grammy nominations she's gotten should bear some testament that she's got listeners far beyond the borders of the Lone Star State. No matter, she sings extremely well. She even throws in some cool up-tempo influences and at times comes off sounding like a young Selena. She'd probably be great if she could dump the romantic pop stuff and fire up some energy and lose the silly, trite, pretentious Christian image. Ah well. She's still one of the brightest young pop vocalists of this decade. Bottom Line... So, there you have it. 10 of the brightest stars in modern pop music, and 10 great latin pop albums that will put a song in your heart. Until next time, see you in the music store. As always, I'm in the Latin Music aisle!  |
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