Americans who still think of Latin music as mariachi bands and gyrating Ricky Martins and Shakiras might want to lend a closer ear to the genre. This country's Hispanic population isn't just growing, it's growing more diverse. More and more unique musical styles are being gobbled up, and that should come as good news to alternative gringos hoping to spruce up their castellano. This year's Latin-music highlights come from all over the Spanish-speaking map. We'll start in the farthest geographic
Everything's cyclical. It's the reason for a resurgence of skinny jeans and Keds -- the 1980s were due for a comeback that started early in the New Millennium and steadily gained steam. And that trend wasn't lost on Latin rock groups. Outfits like Belanova, The Pinker Tones, and Babasonicos began cranking out synth-laden tunes like it was the second coming of Axel Foley, though they never lost their rock edge. As time has passed, the Eighties mania has left more and more of us clamorin