Spanish Language Music: Merengue Bands, Singers, CDs, Sound Clips
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Spanish language music: MerengueABOUT MERINGUE Meringue is a lively, upbeat kind of music and dance that originated in the Dominican Republic and became kind of a symbol of the country. At first the music of rural peasants, in the mid-1930s dictator Rafael Trujillo declared meringue the official national style and its popularity spread rapidly with rural migration to the cities. The drum beat and the güira -- a metal percussion instrument played with a stiff brush -- define its distinctive sound, though it has been adapted to other instruments. Meringue has become popular outside the Dominican Republic, particularly in Puerto Rico, Miami, and New York.MERENGUE ARTISTS, CDs & AUDIO CLIPS  Elvis
Crespo (New York, USA / Puerto Rico)CD Suavemente [1998] • LISTEN 
• BUY
CD • REVIEW: Dance pop-merengue star Elvis Crespo shot to the
top of the charts in Billboard with his feverish and horn-fueled mix
of nonstop merengue, as best exemplified by the anthem "Suavemente."
Even if you don't know Spanish, the tribalistic grooves connect solidly
enough that suddenly even merengue dance steps seem instinctive. The
tune has been such a smash that label reps released a "Spanglish"
version that was included in the movie musical Dance with Me. Also instantly
hypnotic is "Tu Sonrisa," another blitzkrieg-paced merengazo
propelled by bewitching horns and relentless percussion. These two tunes
alone are worth the cost of the CD. Elsewhere, there are more merengues
and the occasional romantic bachata--especially noteworthy are "Llorando"
and the flamenco guitar-fueled "Te Vas." Another bachata,
"Nuestra Cancion," is classic bachata, reminiscent of the
great singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra. -- Review by Ramiro Burr
CD Greatest Hits [2002] •
LISTEN 
• BUY
CD | CD Atada [1998]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Lo mejor de Gisselle
[1999] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD Browse or buy Gisselle CDs at amazon
CD Colección romántica [2000] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD •
REVIEW: Juan Luis Guerra takes another look at his long, successful
career on Colección Romántica, a lavish, two-disc
affair that finds the Dominican Republic native revisiting and remixing
some of his most successful songs. The collection's 20 tracks could
have arguably fit on only one CD, especially considering that Guerra
has already released two greatest-hits albums in 1994 and 1996. Still,
this is a compulsively listenable affair, marked by Guerra's trademark
dabbling in jazz harmonies, African music, and pop flavors. The collection's
first five tracks--"Tú," "Razones," "Ay
Mujer," "Quisiera," and "Amor de Conuco"--have
been transformed from their original salsa and merengue versions into
polished ballads. The trick works, and it sets the exotic, candlelit
mood that figures throughout the album. Other hits such as "Burbujas
de Amor" and "Bachata Rosa" have never sounded better,
thanks to studio remastering. Even if Guerra's previous hits albums
are already in your library, Colección Romántica
deserves a prime spot on the shelf. -- Review by Joey Guerra
CD Ni es lo mismo ni es igual
[1998] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Hits [2002] •
LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD En directo [1993]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD Browse or buy Ilegales CDs at amazon
• BUY
CD | CD Lleno de vida [1999]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD The Best ... [2002]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | Live CD En vivo
[2000] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD Browse or buy Manny Manuel CDs at amazon
• BUY
CD | Live CD Acustico [2002]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Sin limite [2001]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Espíritu libre
[1996] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Pasiones [1994]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD 30 exitos insuperables
[2003] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD Browse or buy Ednita Nazario CDs at amazon
• BUY
CD | CD Una mujer como tú
[1993] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD El amor da vida [1994]
• LISTEN
• BUY
CD | CD Corazón, corazón
[1998] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD Browse or buy Raulin Rodriguez CDs at amazon
CD Olga Viva, Viva Olga [1999] • LISTEN
• BUY
CD • REVIEW: Merengue firebrand Olga Tañón delivers
her best material in a red-hot setting at the House of Blues in Orlando,
Florida. The Puerto Rican native spread her wings and dove into pop
with her 1996 album Nuevos Senderos, and she still has that eagerness
to mix it up. Among the choice cuts here are "Mi Eterno Amor Secreto,"
which mixes bluesy soul with romantic salsa, and "El Frio de Tu
Adiós," for its melodic intensity and mature lyrics of accepting
the end. Tañón shows off her versatility, swinging from
the mid-tempo ballads "Presencié tu Amor," to the full-blown
dance-pop workout of the bonus track "Viva la Música,"
which recalls the heavy percussion of Marc Anthony's "I Need to
Know." --Review by Ramiro Burr
CD Una nueva mujer [2005]
• LISTEN
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