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Federico Aubele - Panamerica

The Argentine guitarist-songwriter's second album reaches far beyond the tango+electronics of his first album, although both are present.   With real songs, sung mostly by women, each song combines various Latin American styles and traditions. Poetic and pointed lyrics reward concentrated listening. Especially beautiful are La Esquina and En Cada Lugar.

Juanes - La Vida es un Ratico

While Juanes is perhaps the most popular mainstream rock musician in Latin America, he manages to resist crossing over to pop syrup or English lyrics. In most of his songs he retains a commitment to telling the stories of ordinary people of Colombia, sort of a Latin Springsteen. More than on his previous album, this one incorporates both Colombian dance music like vallenato and cumbia and the hard rock guitar music that originally made him popular with the band Ekhymosis. The first single Me Enamora is a romantic pop tune though.

Manu Chao - La Radiolina

A superstar practically everywhere except the United States, Spaniard Manu Chao writes political anthems ideal for crowds of hundred thousands in soccer stadiums and central plazas. However the songs work at home, in earphones, or small scale protests as well. To reflect his political concerns about poverty and globalization, he mashes together styles from Latin America and West Africa with punk rock, Spanish flamenco, and sonic collages(there are a lot of sirens on this album).  The 21 songs on La Radiolina repeat several musical themes changing up the lyrical subjects and languages. The stand out on the cd is Me Llaman Calle, a melodic and thoughtful song about the hard lives of prostitutes(written for the excellent Spanish film Princesas about Dominican immigrant women in Madrid).  See the video for the poppy anti-Imperialism/Iraq War Rainin in Paradize.

Mexican Institute of Sound - Piñata

After I wrote up a blurb about the debut of Instituto Mexicano de Sonido, Camilio Lara shortly released an even better CD. Piñata features funnier lyrics and a deeper variety of samples, loops, and beats than the debut. Aspires, while not quite reaching, to be a Mexican Paul's Boutique. See the video for Escribeme Pronto.

Pacha Massive - All Good Things

This Bronx based bilingual band combines traditions from their parents' homelands(Colombia and the Dominican Republic) with hip-hop, soul, and funk from their adopted New York borough. Don't Let Go, an electro-funk  groove with R&B chorus and rap interlude, is easily the catchiest song of the year. Watch the video here. Also good are the house track Drive and a dub version of the traditional song Verdolaga.

Zoé - Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea

The band Zoé has emerged after three albums, as one of Mexico’s most popular and accomplished indie rock bands. However unlike other contemporary Mexican bands, like Kinky or El Gran Silencio, Zoé doesn’t use any traditional styles in their music and sound as if they could almost come from anywhere in the world. The band has more in common with Radiohead or TV on the Radio than with Café Tacvba. Read more at Zoé - Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea.

Best New Music of 2007 - Part I