Due to my addiction to the movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, the fact I never get tired of looking at Diego Luna, that I was introduced to Bachata this year by a lovely Dominican hombre, and my belief that anything sounds sexier in Spanish, I decided to put together a playlist that features music that is hotter than anything we gringos can pull off. I can’t consider myself a Latin music expert, nor can I dance to any of it, but, well, you don’t have to to enjoy it. Besides, if Diego Luna decides he wants to teach me to dance (seriously, watch the movie), I have to know the music first, right?
1) Mala Gente - Juanes
A song about a love gone bad. The melody is funky and upbeat, and the lyrics are more than slightly tinged with bitterness. “En el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar,” Juanes condemns his lover—“In the inferno you will burn.”
2) Do You Only Wanna Dance - Mya
A slightly quieter Afro-Cuban cancíon, but sultry, suggestive, and reminiscent of exotic nights, nonetheless. Its feigned restraint does nothing to take away from its Cubano sway.
3) I Like It (Like That) - The Blackout Allstars
Simply too fun to not include. Baila!
4) Baila Baila -Angela Via
Even though most of this song is in English, the Latin beat is unmistakable. It’s all about the dancing and drinking, and the freedom that goes along with both.
5) Ojalá que Llueva Café - Luis Juan Guerra
Another tropical song. This one, though, reflects a calmer scene, though no less full of esperanza—hope. “Hopefully it rains coffee in the field” sings Guerra. He prays for every crop, sweetly, to a composed Caribe beat—the sound of rain adding to the simple nature of the song.
6) Represent Cuba - Orishas
From Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. This song is hot, to be blunt. It features a distinctly Afro-Cuban beat—spicy and perfect for any wild dancing.
7) El Gitano de Amor - Latin Soul Syndicate
Another perfect dancing song. This song plays in the background with the sexy dance scene in The Ugly Truth. The chorus, in English, refrains “The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile sets me off,” mixing with sweet nothings about “la mujer de sus sueños”—the woman of his dreams, por supuesto.
8) Dirty Dancing - Black Eyed Peas
The finale song of Dirty Dancing. “I speak English, and you speak Spanish, and music is the only thing that we be understanding,” the lyrics go, somehow capturing the very thoughts of every exotic rendezvous participant.
9) Es Por Tí - Juanes
A romantic song to finish things off. “It’s for you,” croons Juanes—a song written, it seems, truly in the throes of new love.
From the Editor (throwing my two cents in):
10) El Indio - Los de Abajo
Smooth and steamy, just like I like my coffee . . . but with more guitar.
11) Diablo Rojo - Rodrigo y Gabriela
This guitar duo plays music influenced both by the sounds of their native Mexico City and by Metallica. In 2006, their self-titled album beat out the Arctic Monkeys and Johnny Cash for the number one spot on the Irish Album Chart. I'm looking forward to their new album, 11:11, which comes out in September '09.
P..s. Cómo se dice “playlist” en espanol, anyways?
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