It only took one fiesta for Latin music to get its grip on me. Music is everywhere here. On the buses. On the street. At fiestas - the ones you attend, as well as the ones you listen to through your open windows at night.
The rhythm of Latin music is hard to resist and the lyrics are hauntingly beautiful, even without understanding a word of them. So I've known from early on in this adventure that I would be making it part of my life - if only I knew where to start.
I considered asking friends for suggestions, but lacked even the remotest idea about how to guide their responses to something I actually wanted to listen to. So I pondered and procrastinated, which is my usual Modus Operandi. Finally, last week I decided the time had come. Okay, maybe what I really decided was that the time had come because I finally had a strategy in mind. You Tube. (Duh. Why didn’t I think of that months ago?)
Long story short, a search on "Latin Pop Music" yielded a wealth of choices. With You Tube in one window and Google in another, I jumped in feet first and emerged with my new music stuck in my head 24/7. Whoever would have thought?
Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Maná, Christian Castro, Gloria Estafan, Luis Miguel. A few of the names rang a bell. Like Gloria Estafan and Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony...all huge names in the U.S. But I'd never actually listend to the music they recorded in their native language. In a word, it's amazing! But as good as they are, they pale in comparison to Juanes, a name that was completely new to me and an exciting discovery.
As far back as I can remember, my favorite artists have always offered good music with a message. Chad Mitchell Trio, with their satirical social commentary. “MTA”
Likewise, the Kingston Trio. “A Dying Business”
John Denver’s love songs need no comment, but if you haven’t already done so, take a listen to “It’s About Time”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “Teach Your Children Well” and who could forget "Ohio"?
And now comes Juanes, a Columbian former rocker, now pop star, who grew up Medellin, surrounded by and forever changed by the violence he witnessed during the drug wars and civil wars that rocked the nation. Many of his pieces speak to tolerance and understanding as a path to peace. Odio Por Amor ("Hate for Love" -- also known as "It's Time For Change") His love songs are some of the most magical in memory. “Para Ti Amor” (For Your Love)
In the end, music choice is a personal matter and, like the books we read, a reflection of who we are and who we are becoming. As always, my goal is to share with you a bit of insight into how our lives change and, as I’m learning, remain so very much the same, in our new home. What better way to glimpse those changes than through "Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor" (I'm Nothing Without Your Love) - which is the absolute truth.
Pura Vida
