1. Arsenio Rodriguez - 'El Alma De Cuba'
Courtesy Tumbao Cuban Classix
Cuban bandleader and composer Arsenio Rodriguez is credited as the creator of 'son montuno', a musical form I love so much that I would buy this collection just as a 'thank you'. But there are better reasons. The collection is a little pricey but should be worth the pesos to Afro-Cuban music lovers since it includes 6 discs - his complete recordings for RCA Victor (1940-1956) as well as 2 booklets with photos, history, discography and anecdotes.
2. Grupo Niche - 'La Historia del Grupo Niche'
For Colombian salsa fans, there's no group more satisfying than Grupo Niche. This release is a CD/DVD combo of their biggest hits so that you can watch as well as listen to this fabulous group.
3. 'Reggaeton's Most Wanted Videos'
I'm not sure what the most wanted reggaeton hits are, but this CD looks good as a gift for urban music lovers. The DVD contains videos by popular urban artists including Wisin y Yandel, Don Omar, Hector El Father, Angel y Khriz and Magnate.
4. Vicente Fernandez - 'The Living Legend'
For the many ranchera lovers out there, Vicente Fernandez is the king. This wonderful 3 CD set contains many of his most popular tunes from 4 decades of big-voiced serenades and includes a booklet describing his life and music.
5. Luis Miguel - 'Todos Los Romances'
Perennial favorite Luis Miguel could just be the king of Latin romances. He released several albums of beloved ballads over the years; this boxed set contains three cds for a total of 37 of his most popular boleros and ballads.
6. Gloria Estefan - 'The Essential Gloria Estefan'
Gloria Estefan has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and introduced Latin music to much of the worldwide (non-Latin) audience. The Essential Gloria Estefan is a 2 CD set containing 37 hit singles and some of the most popular album tracks, from Miami Sound Machine days to the present.
7. Selena - 'Unforgettable' (Ultimate Edition)
Selena Quintanilla was probably the first Latin music cross-over star before her tragic death in 1995 and years later she still is unforgettable - the 'Elvis Presley' of Tejano music and still alive in the memory of her fans.
This album really is an ultimate edition. The album comes with 2 CDs and 2 DVDs. The CDs house 30 tracks, both studio and live versions. One of the DVDs is of her hit videos while the other is a documentary narrated by Edward James Olmos. A great way to celebrate and commemorate at the same time.
8. Tito Puente - 'The Complete 78s'
Before CDs, before vinyl, recordings were produced on 78-rpm shellac discs and that was the media used when New York's Latin music scene was booming as a generation of artists made such glad and infectious music that they became known as the 'Mambo Kings'. Chief among them was a young percussionist named Tito Puente who was instrumental in the evolution of the era's music.
Puente recorded 156 78-rpm records for Tico from 1949 and 1955 and currently 2 out of the conceived 4 volumes have been released. These albums are a treasure for collectors and percussionists and sheer joy for dancers and fans of mambo, cha cha and heartfelt boleros.
Why not put both under someone's Xmas tree?
The Complete 78s Vol. 2 Compare Prices
9. Antonio Carlos Jobim - 'Brasileiro'
Today's Brazilian music owes so much to this man; Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote and performed the songs that brought the sensuous sounds of a country that lives for its music to an eager public. What better gift for the person that loves the classic sounds of Brazil than a boxed set of eight cds containing all the songs that earned Tom Jobim his stellar reputation?
10. 'Cafe De Los Maestros' (Deluxe Edition)
Usually when you say Gustavo Santaolalla and tango in the same sentence, you're talking about Santaolalla's electro-tango group, Bajofondo. But Santaolalla found the time to gather-up the remaining Argentine tango stars from the 40s & 50s and put together an extraordinary collection of more traditional tango. He released it in 2 volumes; this deluxe edition contains both.
