María “La Mala” Rodríquez’ latest effort has taken Spain by storm. The record, says María, is called Alevosía because “Lo he hecho a tiro hecho, sobre seguro y no hay fallos. Lo he hecho queriendo.” YaTv.com calls her “the most courageous voice” of Spanish rap today.

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!)

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!

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!

Me Gustaria blends Cuban son, guajira and charanga, accented with a little hip-hop. Javier Garcia “would like” to please your musical palate, give it a listen!

Javier Garcia. Keep your ear to the sound system, we’re catching his tunes popping up at downtown lounges and restaurants. Come along for a ride as our man is at the helm of the tranquila bus. This song was Javier’s first release, and garnered gold records in three countries. It’s guaranteed to have you moving “suave, suavecito.”

Dhira brings a heavy Hindu and Indian influence to the European club scene’s take on American hip-hop and club music. These late night party animals are said to be vegetarians who enjoy cheese sandwiches when they are not busy rapping.

If you have ever seen Almodovar’s Matador you are familiar with the “black widow” phenomenon. Javier García explores the same territory here, tongue firmly in cheek, in his remix video for Me Gustaría, which might make you think twice before chatting up that sexy pole dancer you meet at the airport.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. For all you semiotics majors, Maria “La Mala” Rodriguez explores the intersection of sex, commerce, technology, gender and competition in "Jugadores, Jugadoras" (Male Players, Female Players).

Ángeles Morales de las Heras, a.k.a. Shaila Dúrcal, the child of pop stars Rocio Dúrcal and Antonio Morales Barreto, grew up in Madrid but spent much of her life on the road touring the world with her mom. No stranger to the limelight, she debuted on Spanish television at 12, singing for Nikka Costa, who was then 19. Adult success was not immediate, but came quickly with the release of the highly sentimental, Recordando, her second album.

Spanish musician Joaquin Sabina visits Mexico for this video set during the Mexican Revolution. Sabina, himself a former exile from Franco’s Spain, has released 17 albums over a 29 year career, as well as books of lyrics and poetry.

Chambao introduce themselves in this way: The sound of waves, smooth sand, friends and music, a “chambao” is not just a fleeting space set up on the seashore with rugs and cushions, lit up by a bonfire; it is also a place where the simple joy of being alive is the important matter.

La Mala Rodriguez, a Spanish rapper has built a career out of playing the outsider in the male world of rap music, earning plenty of attention for her strong femininity and socially argumentative lyrics. Her Hip Hop is greatly influenced by flamenco music.

Cosas de Críos, or “kids’ stuff”, is a friendly song about those bygone times when our world was nothing but a fantastic playground.

Amparo Sanchez – a singer and guitar player from Spain – is not afraid to mix genres, geographies and influences. On her band Amparanoia’s website, she explains: “My paranoia is music and the idea was to mix rhythms and styles, taking enjoyment from the rumba to ‘ranchera’, or the bolero and ska…” (Of course, Amparo + paranoia = Amparanoia.) Listen to 2006’s “La vida te da” and hear the Afro-Cuban rumba interpreted by this talented Spaniard.

Far from Minnesota, this Spanish rock act is begging the girl to slow down. A safe thing to do, especially if the girl in question is a taxi driver.

These three sisters, known on stage as Son del Sol, are representative of what is called Nuevo Flamenco (Contemporary Flamenco), where the classic sounds bump into other genres. The star of this song is a girl called Natividad (literally, Nativity) who goes to Cuba for some of the Caribbean’s charms. Like the music itself, the tale blends the Old World and the New.

Is it by chance that Diego Maradona IS Maradona and you are not? “Life is a raffle, lottery or game of chance,” claims the refrain of this catchy song by Manu Chao. But if you were Maradona, what would you do? Would you live like him? Listen in and ponder the question.

Through music even the most painful memories of a cheating ex-girlfriend can be made lovely. In this bittersweet song, Antonio Villalba and Daniel Mateos, also known as En Cuero, sing about a break-up so sad even the flowers will cry when they hear about it.

Spain’s pop sensation is way more than an enigmatic name. Sure, we’re also wondering why you’d name your band after the removed appendage of a long-gone Dutch painter, but what’s made them famous is their music. "El último vals" is a song inspired by Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz.

Meet Enrique Bunbury, a big name in rock en español. The Spaniard was the lead singer of the classic rock band Héroes del Silencio for 12 years. When the group disbanded in 1996, Bunbury began his solo career. "Frente a frente"—a cover of the song first recorded by Euro-pop star Jeanette in 1981—is the first single from Bunbury’s 2010 album Las Consecuencias.

How is the weather on the fifth season? According to this video we should expect some winds with a few sunny flashbacks. And there is also a chance of Marc Anthony, mostly know for being Jennifer Lopez’s significant one.

Manu Chao is French, but he has Spanish roots. He sings in six or seven different languages, from Spanish to English to Arabic, and his music has even more diverse influences. “Clandestino,” the title track from Manu’s first album, deals with the issue of immigration: “I wrote it about the border between Europe and those coming from poorer nations. Look around – maybe thirty percent of the people in this street are clandestino (illegal).”

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.