Hailing from Monterrey, Inspector has got to be one of the most inspired ska bands south of the Rio Grande! This tune features guest artists Rubén Albarrán (a.k.a. “Rita Cantalagua”) of Café Tacuba and Roco of Maldita Vecindad.

Ever find it nearly impossible to get home after a rough night out? Javier Garcia gives musical life to just such a scenario in A Casa. Cuídate, it’s a catchy tune!

Javier Garcia was born in Madrid to a Cuban father and spent his earliest years in Spain before heading to boarding school in Ireland (from whence his mother comes), finishing high school in Miami after the age of 16. So what kind of Spanish accent does he have? Well, by his own admission, something of a Cuban one when he sings, a kind of a Spanish one when he talks… (we called him and asked!)

If Javier doesn’t get you swinging, swaying and stumbling over your two left feet with this tune, you’re at the wrong site! The trumpet is courtesy of the incomparable Arturo Sandoval, who we had the pleasure of seeing at the Blue Note a while back. A drunken and noisy Tom Jones showed up mid-set with full entourage, causing the fiery Sandoval to call for ¡cállate!

It was his father who gave him the nickname “Juanes,” created by combining his first name (Juan) and the beginning of his second name (Esteban). Pops may have realized that it made for a perfect pop idol calling card, as he also taught him to play guitar.

The worm might be blind but these guys can certainly see their way around a good hook. "Giroscopio" is a classic style video reminiscent of early MTV that fits well with this “power pop” tune. Yabla loves this band, you will too!

La Gusana Ciega is one of our favorite bands! Excellent writing plus deep hooks equals beautiful pop. This live recording of "Tornasol", a big hit for the band, may just leave you hungry for more.

Grammy-nominated La Secta Allstar boasts Puerto Rican roots despite having come together in Orlando, where the members attended college, and shortly after that settling in Miami. This title track from their album, Consejo, may very well make their mothers and mothers around the Spanish speaking world proud.

Chido, is Mexican for “cool” (and we don’t mean leaning towards cold). As is typical, a precise definition can vary with context. Liquits, representative of Mexico City’s young and playful, enjoy riffing and aren’t afraid to mix languages (and cultural references) with abandon.

So what is it with this Latin American love of ska, a Jamaican genre from the early 60’s that’s had a second coming amongst British and American bands since the early 80’s? Lucky for us, ska is almost always sung very clearly, in short, catchy, easy to understand phrases. Liquits hails from Mexico City, but this award winning group has been hopping continents to record and play for a growing audience since 1993. The animation is ¡padrisimo!

If there was an entry for “trippy” in the English-Spanish dictionary we think there would be a photo of Liquits sitting there next to it. Lyrically, this neat little tune is not as simple as it at first sounds, and is loaded with double meanings and word plays—we’ve tried to point out a few! Have fun (you know you like to sing)—vocab quiz on naked stork firefly poppies first thing Monday.

Los Pericos formed in 1986, a bunch of buddies who shared a love for Jamaican icons like Toots & The Maytals, Peter Tosh, and, of course, Bob Marley. No tribute band, they formed their own unique sound and have been jammin’ ever since.

In the face of blind passion and desire, it’s fairly safe to say that even P.T. Barnum himself was probably a sucker for love. Los Pericos knows first hand the pain that can follow a heart first plunge into the romantic abyss. Sure, they claim to be over it now, but we’re not sure if we altogether believe it…

Feeling like you aren’t yourself lately? Perhaps even get the idea you are no longer of this world? Molotov knows all about this feeling and have hired a team of scientists to create a special dance to go along with it!

In English “forever” is a really long time, it’s also, you’ll notice, written as a single word. In Spanish “for ever” is expressed as “for always,” also a long time, and is written as two distinct words, para siempre. Zurdok has been infecting Mexico, and the world, with its catchy tunes since 1994.

The narrator of the 1998 single, “Agua,” from Spanish rock band, Jarabe de Palo’s second album, Depende, wants far more than his friend from their seemingly ambiguous relationship.

Jorge Celedon is a Colombian singer specializing in the Colombian folk genre, vallenato. In "Me gustas mucho" [I Like You a Lot], he sings about his affection for a girl with beautiful eyes.

Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Tito El Bambino sings "Llueve el amor" (It's Raining Love), the first single from his 2011 album, "El Patrón: Invencible" (The Boss: Invincible).

We have the debut music video from La Vida Bohème -- an Indy, punkish Venezuelan band with a bit of French in its name. Playing on roof tops in Caracas, the band delivers a subversive song in just a few words. And then they are kidnapped. "Viva la résistance," says the writing on the wall (also dropping in a bit of French). This is one band worth following.

Puerto Rican Draco Rosa, or Draco for short, sings about a promised paradise somewhere near the end of the world. You have to get there, his song explains. On the guitar, Draco is backed up by a bevy of stringed instruments that create a haunting effect. Part of the video is shot on Draco’s ranch in Puerto Rico, which makes you wonder… Does the promised land look like a tropical island?

The trio Fase is hailed as a pioneer in “tropical electronica”. The wonderfully sweet voice of Alma Velasco helped make this plaintive song a favorite among pop fans on both hemispheres. Excellent electro-pop with simple and very clear lyrics that repeat many key words, super for beginners.

Colombian pop sensation Juanes sings this duet with Canadian superstar Nelly Furtado. The song gave each of them an award for best duet and Juanes one for best songwriter at the Latin Music Awards. This song is very clear, very easy, and repetitive using key vocabulary. Great for beginners!

Polbo used to play sixties cover songs in bars “de mala muerte” in Yabucoa by night, while studying physics at university by day. They began to write their own songs, which the crowds started to demand more than the covers. Keep an ear out for them!