February 1, 2021
Focusing on individual songs, music journalist and scholar Cobo (vice president, Billboard magazine) offers less a history of Latin music than a series of high points. And yet one can reconstruct a through line, charting the genre's breakout into mainstream American pop. In this oral history, the author brings both deep knowledge and longtime personal acquaintance with many of the artists she profiles to bear on a series of interviews that document significant moments in Latin music's creative explosion since the early 1970s. By their very nature, many of these songs will be familiar even to non-aficionados; "Macarena," "Livin' la Vida Loca," and "Despacito" were inescapable during their turns on the charts. Readers will enjoy exploring the origins of these songs; the creative and industry acumen of the songwriters, performers, and producers; and Latin music's adaptation to and leveraging of changes in how people access and listen to music. VERDICT An enlightening and insightful chronicle. For Latin music fans as well as for those eager to learn more about this style of music.--Genevieve Williams, Pacific Lutheran Univ. Lib., Tacoma
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2021
An up-tempo journey through some of Latin music's greatest hits. How did "Despacito," by Luis Fonsi and featuring Daddy Yankee, a "juggernaut of a song" that "reigned at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for an astonishing sixteen weeks," become such a massive hit in the U.S. in 2017? As Cobo, the vice president and Latin industry lead at Billboard, shows, it wasn't just the music; it took armies of savvy producers, a legacy of risk-tasking musicians, and a sprinkle of serendipity. In a book that spans seven decades and many more countries, the author examines the births of notable songs that captured Latin culture in the global imagination. Cobo tells these stories through interviews with the eclectic mix of people who created them--Luis Feliciano, Willie Col�n, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Rosal�a, et al.--as well as the masterminds who elevated their regional sounds and amplified them on to a world stage. The narrative is rapidly paced, just like the music that fills its pages, and is best served while playing the songs it chronicles. At its core, this is a book about believing in what many considered impossible: "It's too much Spanish," said American radio programmers about the titular megahit, which demonstrates the power of music to change attitudes. There is something special about learning the magic of this music from the people who were there and how seemingly niche sounds like salsa, which began in the streets of New York City in the 1960s, would end up resonating in places as far-flung as Japan. The organizer and host of Billboard's annual Latin Music Conference, Cobo is a highly knowledgeable guide, and she delves deep into the canon to make a convincing case for Latin music as a significant driver of American culture at large. An entertaining oral history of the songs that put Latin culture on the map.
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