LATIN MUSIC | WHAS11.com | News for Louisville, Kentucky

Reggaeton swaggered to the upper reaches of the charts, turning bling-sporting rappers Daddy Yankee and Don Omar into stars.
Teen sensation RBD released three CDs in a blatant effort to cash in before its fickle audience moved on to the next disposable group.
Plus, we got the welcomed return of Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Man and Aterciopelados with great new discs.

That's the story of Latin music circa 2006.

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Spanish singer-songwriter's most completely realized disc in a career full of formidable releases. He experiments with jazz, reggaeton, R B, pop, samba, salsa and, of course, his native flamenco.

He expresses songs brimming with poetic, panoramic lyrics. And he's casually confident throughout.

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Austin's Latin rockers brilliantly found their muse on CD No.

3. Whether it's the Del Castillo brothers' fiery fretwork on those smoking Spanish guitars, the thick rhythm section or lead singer Alex Ruiz's passionate turns on the microphone, Brotherhood emanates mystic Latin power.

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Another Latin music treasure from Spain.

Combine breezy melodies and an effervescent mix of pop, folk and rock with the sweet vocals of Amaia Montero to craft a sparkling gem of a record that grows more infectious with each hearing.

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Zacatecas-raised romantic ranchero vocalist has no competition. His supple voice, strong yet sultry, caresses a batch of cover tunes mostly from the '70s and makes them his own, particularly his stunning takes on Emmanuel's Todo Se Derrumb and Mocedades' Qui n Te Cantar .

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She may have started as an alternative, perhaps unwitting member of the rock en espa ol brigade, but don't be fooled. Mexico's Julieta Venegas is an alt-pop lady and a darned good one, too. Aside from the reggaeton-spiced Primer D a, all of Lim n y Sal comes brimming with crisp, left-of-center pop numbers.

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After solo projects, including one each from the group founders Andrea Echeverri and H ctor Buitrago, Aterciopelados returns with a sinfully delicious little record. The sinewy power of Ms. Echeverri's voice is most evident now as she glides through moody, rock-influenced pop tracks Complemento, Don Dinero and Insoportable.

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Puerto Rico's pop-tropical singer-songwriter helped pen and produce his fourth disc, about the enduring value of familial and romantic relationships from immigrants' points of view. Highlights: the salsa-meets-pop Ella Tiene Algo (El Secreto de Victoria), the soulful, soaring ballad Si Fuera Facil and the slightly percussive Sigo Con Ella.

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Latin pop for the sheer fun of it, for that exhilarating rush from a hooky chorus to a rhythm so tightly played you can't help but get off the chair and work the hardwood floor.

The Spanish singer found the perfect merger of mainstream pop, flamenco touches, rock and even reggaeton spice on his third major-label studio effort.

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Yes, the CD's too long. Mexico's Man can be self-indulgent.

But everything these guys record is an event, and there's something so worldly about their music, especially tracks such as Labios Compartidos, Bendita Tu Luz, El Rey Tibur n and Relax.

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Control is the cumbia lover's dream. Here's a Mexican group that dared to take the cumbia out of the requisite Tejano genre, where it flourished for years, and away from its Colombian roots.

The results? Dance music for the sheer joy of dancing. Play Viva el Amor and cut loose.

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