Best Merengue & Bachata Albums For 2007

Not only is Juan Luis Guerra's La Llave De Mi Corazon the year's most celebrated album, winning almost every "best of" award this year, but it's an approachable album that is impossible not to love (well, I guess anything is possible - but not likely). Not quite merengue, not quite bachata, it nonetheless resonates with Dominican rhythms and themes.

Bachata's Aventura, the 'boy band' from the Bronx, has been experiencing an explosion of popularity after a start that included being booed off local stages. K.O.B. Live (Kings of Bachata) was their last album and it cemented their popularity. This year, the Aventura concert that was filmed live at Madison Square Garden has just added to their reputation, and with good reason. Even if you are not an experienced bachata fan, you're going to find this album a sheer pleasure.

A few years ago, Puerto Rico's Elvis Crespo was one of the most popular merengue and salsa artists in the mainstream. He's been quiet for awhile until he returned in 2007 with Regreso El Jefe, his first studio album in 3 years. And 'The Boss" is definitely back, with a return to great merengue. "Le Foto Se Me Borro" is the breakout single from the album, and it will give you an idea of why Crespo is considered the 'King of Merengue".

With bachata's new found global popularity, it has acquired all the elements - big sound, electronics, etc. that made contemporary music popular. But at its heart, bachata is a guitar-based genre with lovely melodies and lyrical accompaniments.

This album presents early bachata in its original, acoustic form. These tracks originate from the 1960s through the early 1980s and feature artists like Augusto Santos, Juan Bautists and Julio Morales, early pioneers of bachata and still as poignant today as they were in their when these tracks were recorded. If you're interested in what bachata originally sounded like, Bachata Roja is for you. If you just love good, acoustic music, it's for you too.

The Los Toros Band has been around since the 90's singing Dominican rhythms, both merengue and bachata. Their new album, Bachateame, is all bachata (hence, the name). I absolutely love this album. It's a little old-fashioned, very sentimental, with wonderful harmonies ("Querube" gives me goose bumps). The lead singer, Hector Acosta, is just one of a group of wonderful voices and the lyrics are sad and poignant. This is a great album to give someone for any special romantic occasion, but I could listen to it anytime.

For sentimental value, merengue lovers will welcome the return of Johnny Ventura, merengue's "El Caballo.". Ventura hasn't actually made much new music in the last decade and the album is a compilation of some of his biggest hits. Old they might be, but they still stand the test of time.

This album is a unexpected surprise. Following up on his Senor Bolero theme, the indefatigable Jose Feliciano moves to bachata rhythms, delivering an album of Dominican and Puerto Rican standards. This is not the type of music you expect from Feliciano, so it's a pleasant surprise that he pulls it off well enough to make the "best of" list for 2007. Of course, he had a little help (not alot) from RKM y Ken-y, merengue queen Milly Quezada and La India.

Frank Reyes is called the "Prince" of bachata, and certainly his last few albums have met with a royal reception. Te Regalo El Mar is another winner with robust vocals, dynamic instrumentals and that bachata sensibility that defines the "music of bitterness".

Luis Vargas, "El Rey Supremo" of bachata's new album is 10 tracks of his colorful and soulful bachata tracks with a couple of merengue's thrown in. Vargas doesn't have the best singing voice of the genre, but he sure understands how to sell bachata to the world.

By the way, the best music DVD I watched this year was Vargas' Santo Domingo Blues. If you want to understand what bachata is and how it came to be so very popular, this is definitely a DVD you should see.

An icon in merengue, Tono Rosario's A Tu Gusto is full of energy (well, it is merengue) and embodies the spirit of the genre. There's 1 English track (sort of): a somewhat fast, yet soulful "Who Said". There's also a great version of Barry White's "My First, My Last, My Everything" sung in Spanish, although the track is labeled "The First, The Last, My Everything". Well, who cares as long as the music keeps you dancing. This album has a little of a motown feel to it and it works.