Difficulty: Beginner
Venezuela
Alberto Jiménez’s album Causalidad was released in 2009 throughout Venezuela. Listen to snippets of songs and hear the rest of the story behind the production of it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Spain
Listen to the whispery, seductive sound of the Corpus Christi lead singer’s voice as she sings a beautiful declaration of love and of the angst it can create. The video, directed by Nadia Mata Portillo, captures the mood perfectly.
Difficulty: Beginner
Venezuela
This group formed in 1991 to fill a gaping hole in the Venezuelan club/dance band scene. They have a Latin Grammy under their belts as well as nominations for Grammys and Latin Grammys. Move to the beats of “Como sabes tú” from the album Commercial.
Difficulty: Beginner
Spain
Ana Fernández-Villaverde, aka La Bien Querida, sings hauntingly about regret in “De Momento Abril.” Sharing the stage with this Spanish songstress are guitars, violins, a piano, a drum set and a cajón—that is, a box-shaped percussion instrument to sit on. The cajón is originally from Peru, but it’s used in modern flamenco and other musical genres.
Difficulty: Beginner
Venezuela
Alberto Jiménez put together ten of his latest songs for the album Causalidad, released in 2009 throughout Venezuela. Here, he tells us the story behind the production of it.
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
Mexican rock singer Alejandra Guzmán is known as the “Queen of Rock” in Latin America. Take a listen to her soulful singing in “Porque no estás aquí” (“Because You’re Not Here”), and you’ll see why. Those lyrics sung in that raspy voice get right into your core.
Difficulty: Beginner
Colombia
New York has the Hudson; Paris has the Seine; London has the Thames. Rivers were important in the building of these cities: they were commercial routes and also a source of food. Aterciopelados (in English, literally “The Velvety Ones”) the well-known Colombian band, remind us of the importance of our rivers with the title song of their socially conscious album Río.
Difficulty: Beginner
Argentina
Sunny Miami is not only a touristic destination. Their beautiful beaches and their elegant buildings are the perfect set for the newest Latin American telenovelas.
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
Our friends from Nortec Collective are known for their eclectic mix of electronic and norteño music (hence the name: norteño + techno = Nortec). Here, a band member discusses how the group got started, down to the very first time he read about a synthesizer. Don’t miss their Grammy award-nominated Tijuana Sound Machine.
Difficulty: Beginner
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican pop star Chayanne is infatuated… Not so much with a girl as with her succulent lips and mouth. He can’t get her mouth off of his mind!
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
If someone offered to be your space cowboy, would you be their Venus in the sand? La Gusana Ciega (the blind worm) from Mexico offers another catchy surrealist tune.
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
The first couple of lines of this song are happy enough, and then—pow—she left and the pain won’t disappear. Mexican pop band Reik belts out a plaintive song about heartache. Have tissues handy.
Difficulty: Beginner
Puerto Rico
This Puerto Rican band wasn’t on the island from the get-go. Two of La Secta’s members, Mark and Gustavo, met in Orlando during school and then moved to Miami Beach. There, they met up with John and Carlos and started writing songs. The message of their album Fuego, which shines through in “Déjalos que hablen,” is, according to John, “to be positive in the face of a moment of so many changes in the world.”
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
Have you ever been at the end of a dark alley wondering why, how, when? Well that’s exactly the mood of this Café Tacuba song: a metaphysical alley where we wonder what did we do wrong and ask for a second chance. It seems that this guy needs a metaphysical GPS system.
Difficulty: Beginner
Panama
There’s a lot to love about Panama’s Cienfue. Take this great song and its even better video. It makes you want to walk right into the ocean to play guitar underwater on a sunny day, doesn’t it?
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