Young Rockers Are Expected to Fill the Void

For fans of Latin music, 1999 was a memorable year.

Not only did Latin artists become an unequivocal part of the American mainstream, but the rock en espan~ol and Afro-Cuban genres also offered some of their strongest efforts of the entire decade.

It’s a tough act for Latin music to follow this year, a period when many superstars in the field will not be releasing new material.

That leaves the burden on the young Latin rock brigade, and, sure enough, four of the brightest hopes in the genre will be releasing their eagerly awaited second albums: Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles, Colombia’s Bloque and Mexico’s El Gran Silencio and Julieta Venegas.

Although none of these artists carries the artistic weight of Cafe Tacuba or Fabulosos Cadillacs, their takes on Latin rock are creative and distinctive.

Los Amigos assemble a wonderful pastiche of disco, funk and bossa nova. Bloque plays politically conscious salsa-con-rock. El Silencio has brought positivity to the already jaded world of rap en espan~ol, with a playful attitude reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest. And Venegas is the Latina equivalent of Polly Jean Harvey.

But the field’s most eagerly awaited album in 2000 will be from Aterciopelados, probably on one of the mainstream U.S. labels bidding for the Colombian duo’s services. Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago are currently recording demos at their studio in Bogota. The music is said to continue the exploration of trip-hop and electronica they started on the Grammy-nominated “Caribe Atomico” album in 1998.

Then there are the dozens of new rock bands recording their music right now, waiting for the world to discover them.

“The interesting thing about this coming year is the appearance of new, relevant talent,” says Gustavo Santaolalla, rock en espan~ol guru and producer of the latest records from Cafe Tacuba and Molotov.

Besides producing the new Venegas album, Santaolalla and his partner Anibal Kerpel have spent the last few months recording new talent, including groups Arbol, Dracma, La Vela Puerca and Colombian singer Juanez, whose material Santaolalla describes as “a hip mixture of cumbia, funk, hip-hop and nueva trova [“new song”] songwriting.”

Tomas Cookman, manager of Fabulosos Cadillacs and Aterciopelados and one of the leading players in the rock en espan~ol arena, is equally optimistic about the new year.

“There’s already a number of promising albums in the works,” he says. “I have a lot of faith in the new Amigos and El Gran Silencio albums. There’s a project called Sidestepper that I hear good things about, a combination of cumbias with electronic music. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Fabulosos Cadillacs released an album of new material before the end of the year. They’ve been writing a lot of songs lately.”

Things are less exciting in the world of salsa, and record companies have begun to take notice.

“The quality of tropical music has been on the weak side lately,” admits Nelson Rodriguez, national director of promotions with RMM, still the leading label in the field. “This year, we’re planning to go back to more traditional stuff, to music that has roots and swing.”

Rodriguez promises new albums by Tony Vega, Domingo Quin~ones and the excellent Japanese combo Nettai, as well as a salsa tribute to Stevie Wonder. But RMM’s most anticipated release will be the first-ever collaboration between timbalero Tito Puente and keyboardist Eddie Palmieri.

The Cuban son revival is likely to continue with new albums by Barbarito Torres, the U.S. debut of sonero Pio Leyva and the second effort by perhaps the most endearing figure of the Buena Vista Social Club scene, 80-year-old pianist Ruben Gonzalez. The group Arte Mixto, one of the island’s brightest hopes, will release an album with a new female singer.

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In the field of pop, a new name is about to be added to the “Latin artist anxiously seeking crossover opportunity” list. Shakira, a Colombian singer with an uncanny resemblance to Alanis Morissette in both looks and sound, will release her first English-language album. Judging from her previous work en espan~ol, the record will probably not break any significant artistic barriers.

Other notable releases will include albums by Mexico’s Jose Jose and Pablo Montero, Peru’s Susana Baca, Argentina’s Autenticos Decadentes, Venezuela’s Guaco and King Chango, Chile’s La Ley, Cuba’s Rolo Martinez, Spain’s Alejandro Sanz and Los Angeles salsero Ricardo Lemvo.

Looking back at the best records of 1999, from Cafe Tacuba’s breakthrough “Reves/Yosoy” to Ibrahim Ferrer’s earthy solo album and Carlos Vives’ infectious mixture of pop and vallenato, it’s clear that the elements that unite these efforts are the depth and lasting appeal of the music. It is safe to assume that those three albums will appear in “best of” lists for decades to come.

Rock en espan~ol was the most rewarding genre in terms of sheer artistry. Tacuba’s stunning “Reves/Yosoy” may be the masterpiece of the entire movement, and collections by Fabulosos Cadillacs, Molotov, Andres Calamaro, Control Machete and Gustavo Cerati, plus tributes to pop veterans Jose Jose and Sandro, gave ample proof that the once-troubled movement is at an unparalleled creative height.