FELIX CONTRERAS, HOST:
Just a quick warning - this episode contains explicit language.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
CONTRERAS: It's June. I can't believe it's June already.
ANAMARIA SAYRE, HOST:
No, it's not.
CONTRERAS: It is.
SAYRE: No, it's not.
CONTRERAS: It's June, and it's time for the best of the year so far.
SAYRE: Oh, my God. Well, good thing I'm ready.
CONTRERAS: OK. From NPR Music, this is ALT.LATINO. I'm Felix Contreras.
SAYRE: And I'm Anamaria Sayre. Let the chisme begin. And to help us this week, we have the most amazing, fabulous, wonderful, incredible - our favorite person on the planet Earth - culture desk producer - that's her official title, by the way.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: Look it up in the system. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, thanks so much for joining us.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Thank you. Thanks for that super casual intro.
(LAUGHTER)
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: I appreciate it.
SAYRE: Is that how everyone introduces you? Or...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah. Everyone, actually. That's my full title...
SAYRE: Good.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: ...At the company.
SAYRE: That makes me feel happy.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: I'm glad. I'm glad you're getting the respect...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: (Laughter).
SAYRE: ...And honor you deserve. So...
CONTRERAS: You're first.
SAYRE: I'm first.
CONTRERAS: You're first. Go ahead.
SAYRE: Oh, my God. To what do I owe the honor?
CONTRERAS: Because that's how I scripted it.
SAYRE: (Laughter).
CONTRERAS: I'm in control.
SAYRE: All right. Guys, I'm exceptionally excited about this one - like, really exceptionally excited. This is Argentinian rap artist Trueno, and this is his new album "El Último Baile." This is the track "Tranky Funky" from the new record.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TRANKY FUNKY")
TRUENO: (Rapping) Si los guachos piden rap… Entonces… Ah, ah, yeah… Vamo' again, back to the game… Lo' guachos saben quién pide rap, les digo: "ten", ja… Yeah, y por la ventana no me ven… Porque soy el que maneja el fuckin' tren del trend, ja… I got it, I got it, what do you need? I got it... No se me compare y pare, que acá ya somo' pare'... Cruzando lo' mare', llegando a lo' lugare'... Desde Argentina para el mundo, que el party no pare... Tanto flow que me piden basta... Soy la luz pa' mi barrio gangsta'... Un gran flash mastah y, si no hay más pasta... Muevo to' los ritmos como si fuese un (hustler)... Tanto flow que me piden basta... Soy la lu' para mi barrio gangsta... Un gran flash mastah y, si no hay más pasta... Muevo to' los ritmos como si fuese...
SAYRE: OK. So I've decided that I have to throw - like, this has motivated me to throw a party this summer because I think that if I played just this album, it would be, like, the best party of all time. Like, he does such an incredible tour de force of all types and varietals of hip-hop. Like, he, to me, is emblematic, representative of what is the Argentinian hip-hop scene right now. And this record specifically is finally, like, the encapsulation of everything, I think, that it's been building towards. I mean, it's really an homage to all that is American hip-hop, Latin American hip-hop. He does all these nods through his lyricism, through samples across the record to all kinds of hip-hop giants and greats over the years. And he - it's so clear that he did his homework. He studied.
You know - last record was really this ode to where he's from. He's from La Boca, a famous neighborhood in Argentina - very proud of that. But this one, I mean, he goes beyond that. He goes to every part of the Southern Cone. He goes to every part of the Americas. And he does so through, you know, this incredible rapping, this incredible diversity of sounds. He has jazz. He has old-school American hip-hop.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: He has R&B. He has disco. He has dancehall. He has horns. He has deep electronic beats alike. I mean, you will find something you like on this record, Felix. I swear to you.
CONTRERAS: I did. I heard a lot of stuff I liked on this record. The tracks that you've played for me - but something stood out a little bit.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: A little bit? This is, like, a level up for Trueno. This is a whole other playing field for him.
SAYRE: See, this is why Isa has the title she has in the system...
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: ...And your title is just host.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: Boring. Snooze.
CONTRERAS: OK. Thank you for sticking up for me, Isa.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: Because of that, you get to go next. What do you have?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Oh, my God. OK. So one of my favorite albums of the year so far has been "Orquídeas" by Kali Uchis.
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: This is the last track on that record. It's called "Dame Beso/Muévete."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAME BESO /MUÉVETE")
KALI UCHIS: (Singing) Ay, bésame ahí... Como una flor necesito tu atención... Varias veces en el día como agua y el sol... Escúchame cuando te digo por qué esto es importante... Desde que yo despierto quiero sentir mi amante... Dame, dame besos cuando yo abro mis ojos... Dame, dame besos pa' decir "Buenas noches"... Sin amor soy una flor que está a punto de morir... Es una vista triste, no me dejas así... Dame, dame besos ahí, ahí, ahí... Sabes dónde besarme ahí, ahí, ahí... Dame, dame besos ahí, ahí, ahí... No te olvides besarme ahí, ahí, ahí...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So I had to bring that particular song in because I am a sucker for merengue, and I think Kali does it...
(LAUGHTER)
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: ...So well here. There's, like, a transition later on in the song where it turns into a merengue típico, and you have the accordion come in. And it's just, like, finca party music. It's really incredible.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAME BESO /MUÉVETE")
UCHIS: (Vocalizing) Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Encerrada en tu cuarto, solo quieres llorar... Baby, ven, salte conmigo, vámonos a bailar... Y si un asqueroso viene…
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: This whole album, I think, is such a testament to the fact that Kali Uchis shines her brightest in Spanish. It's incredible, to me, that she had to fight her label for years that - for them to let her do what she's doing now, which is fully Spanish or mostly Spanish records.
You know, here, you have this baddie behavior across bolero, R&B, doo-wop vocals that she's been, you know, more known for in the past. She's got amapiano in there. And, I mean, her features - I think there's this tendency in Latin music sometimes to feel like you're checking boxes of genres or you're checking boxes of collaborations. But she really knows where to put which voice. Like, she's got El Alfa and JT from City Girls on this hilarious, like, dembowperreo. She has what I think is the best pop use of Peso Pluma on this really sort of throwback, synth-y song.
And I think it's just - I love that it's called "Orquídeas" because it's the national flower of her native Colombia. And I think this is such a lively nod to Caribbean and Colombian party culture and the culture that Kali Uchis grew up in. It just makes you want to have, like, a shot of aguardiente as you're listening to it.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: It's a really incredible record.
CONTRERAS: OK. I'm going to change the mood a little bit, as I'm - as I do very often. I'm - you know, I'm kind of in a mellow mood halfway through the year 'cause I - the tracks that I brought in are kind of mellow.
SAYRE: You're always in a mellow mood.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: (Laughter).
CONTRERAS: I'm going to think about that one.
SAYRE: What is The Grateful Dead, Felix...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In a good way, of course. In a good way.
CONTRERAS: Oh, well, they're good for that.
SAYRE: ...Party anthems?
CONTRERAS: Yeah. That's true.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: That's true. OK. I brought in somebody that - I think, Ana, you're the one who told me about her. Her name is Lau Noah.
SAYRE: I did.
CONTRERAS: Yes, you did.
SAYRE: I did.
CONTRERAS: Yeah. She is Catalan. She is a multi-instrumentalist. She's a vocalist. This new record is called "A Dos," which is a series of duet with people like Jorge Drexler, the jazz singer Cecile McLorin Salvant, even our favorite, Silvia Perez Cruz. This is a track with Gaby Moreno, and it has some very, very beautiful - classical, ladies - classical guitar. Check it out.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AUNQUE SUENE BONITO")
LAU NOAH: (Singing) ¿Cuánto puede salvarte una canción escrita del efímero arte en esta alma chiquita?
GABY MORENO: (Singing) Es un don de sirenas del sonido de voto, pero le ahorran las penas en este corazón… roto.
LAU NOAH AND GABY MORENO: (Singing) Las canciones son bellas, apaciguan heridas... Pero nunca son ellas, mira los salvavidas... Deja que te rebele, que denuncie el delito...
CONTRERAS: OK. I am that guy at the party who's off in the corner talking about esoteric stuff. I know.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I - OK? Just...
SAYRE: I've seen it - can verify.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: He pulls me into it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AUNQUE SUENE BONITO")
NOAH: (Singing) Aunque suene bonito...
CONTRERAS: That's why I like Lau Noah so much - because of her sonic approach to music. This album is a sonic masterpiece, and it reflects the art of selecting compatible voices in every aspect of it. And there are so many ups and downs. It's a very mellow record - I'll give you that - but it - there's a different kind of intensity.
SAYRE: But you know what, Felix? It's mellow, but it's so versatile. It's so dynamic. I mean, you're right. I did bring this record on earlier in the year, but you wouldn't even know it because I brought on an English language track she did with Jacob Collier.
CONTRERAS: Right.
SAYRE: I mean, that is how dynamic she is. And so yes, for her, it's choosing the right voices, but I think she is so capable of building a beautiful song around so many different types of artists. She's such a musician's musician that really it's just about bringing talented people together. I mean, she herself said that this record was a bridge between symphony and song, which I think is exactly what...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Aw.
SAYRE: ...You felt, Felix, and probably what you felt, Isa. I mean, that is really very much her energy around when this record came out. And I think I said this on the episode where I brought her - Silvana Estrada put this on her story, and she said that she was lucky to exist in the same generation and time...
CONTRERAS: Wow.
SAYRE: ...As Lau. That is how - I mean, she has that kind of capability and that energy that she harnesses and puts out into the world.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: She's like Violeta Parra core...
CONTRERAS: Ooh (ph).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: ...In that way.
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: I really love that.
CONTRERAS: Yeah. Nice. The name of the tune is "Aunque Suene Bonito," featuring, of course, Gaby Moreno. The album is "A Dos." And please check out her Tiny Desk concert. It was recorded in February of 2019. It's stunning. You're not going to be disappointed.
OK. We're going to move on. Ana, your turn.
SAYRE: (Singing) Here we go. OK. So this is an artist - his name is Carlos Ares. He's from Spain. I just recently discovered him after, actually, this record had come out. And I was so blown away by it. I had to bring it in today. The track is "Amigo," and the name of the album is "Peregrino."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AMIGO")
CARLOS ARES: (Singing) No es lo mismo lo que hago que lo que digo... Digo que me quiero y sigo contando contigo.... No es lo mismo lo que hago que lo que digo... No es lo mismo lo que hago que lo que digo... Digo que me quiero y sigo contando contigo... Nunca fui... el mejor amigo de mi mejor amigo... Nunca fui... el mejor amigo de mi mejor amigo...
SAYRE: I feel as though, with this record, he kind of satisfies my, like, younger, indie-rock-loving...
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: ...Soul a little bit. Like, I talk about - obviously, a lot - this scene of young Spanish producers who are really innovative, really kind of no bars, no rules - just making really interesting stuff. And he's kind of, like, bordering that scene.
He's worked a lot with Paula Cendejas, which - she's worked a lot with C. Tangana, who's worked a lot with Natti. So there's this kind of whole chain of connection here of these Spanish artists who are making really not your traditional stuff. There is a lot in here. It almost borders on, like, Beirut-sounding to me a little bit with, like, the indie rock energy of it. But he's...
CONTRERAS: Wow.
SAYRE: ...Very versatile. He's very interesting. He does a lot of different stuff on the record. He plays with beautiful choral arrangements and string arrangements. But I just - something about it felt very cinematic and visual and unfixed in time. And I really, really loved it.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: It's giving Oasis. I love it. It's very, like, throwback - angsty teenager. I love it.
CONTRERAS: And let's just do a shout-out to Spain and the variety of music that's coming out of there right now.
SAYRE: It's crazy. It's crazy.
CONTRERAS: This is - it's all over the place, and it makes it even much more fun to listen. OK. You are listening to ALT.LATINO. This is our best of the year so far, 2024. (Singing) Da-da (ph).
SAYRE: 2024.
CONTRERAS: We are listening to our favorite picks of the year so far, and we will be right back.
SAYRE: And we're back with our favorite picks of 2024.
CONTRERAS: OK. Isa, it's your turn. You have the floor.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So I'm sticking with this theme of, like, the girls do it better in Spanish...
(LAUGHTER)
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: ...For this episode. My second...
SAYRE: I don't know if that was the theme, but I'm fully endorsing that one.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: That's my theme. That's what I'm doing. That's my agenda here, just so you guys...
SAYRE: I can get...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: ...Are clear.
SAYRE: Where do I sign up? That's perfect.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: I'll Venmo you a request.
SAYRE: (Laughter).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: This is Angelica Garcia, but this song is in English - disclaimer. It's called "Gemini" off her album "Gemelo."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GEMINI")
ANGELICA GARCIA: (Singing) I see double. I see double everywhere I go - where I go. What do, what do, what do, what do you know? Hey. I see double. I see double everywhere I go - where I go. What do, what do, what do, what do you know? Hey. I see double. I see double everywhere I go. What do, what do, what do, what do you know? Na-na-na-na-na-na (ph). (Vocalizing).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So I did select one of the songs that is in English. But Angelica Garcia is Salvadoran Mexican American. She grew up between East LA and Virginia. And she started out doing this sort of, like, Southern rock, blues-y sound, but then her last album, "Cha Cha Palace," which she performed at the Tiny Desk in 2020, was this, like, explosion of Central American Chicano identity. And I think this album is such a good parallel to that 'cause it's sort of, like, an implosion within her.
It starts out as sort of a meditation into, you know, understanding grief and understanding spirituality. And then the second half of the record just sort of explodes. It has production from Carlos Arévalo from Chicano Batman, which I think you can really hear on this track with those drums and that guitar. And I think through all these different sounds - like, she's doing cumbia. She's doing, like, electro-pop. She's doing indie rock. Her voice just freaking carries.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Like, it's really incredible. She layers these harmonies. She can go from, like, a falsetto to this really guttural, dark place. I mean, it's a very magnetic record. I really love it.
SAYRE: And what's really incredible to me, Isa, is we talked about this record a little bit earlier - or at least a couple of the singles - earlier on the year. And I almost find it hard to believe that this track is off that same record because there really is an immense variety - an immense difference to what she's doing here.
But I will say that pain that you're talking about that she toys with so much - it's present in her voice throughout, to me. Like, that is very much consistently there and something she brings up. And she talks about the spirit and the body as twins on this record. And I think that this is that exploration of the pain that bridges those things. And every time, every angle that she explores it with feels just as beautiful and just as unique to her.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: And just as new. Like, every single track it's just - goes somewhere completely unexpected, I think. So that's the track "Gemini" off Angelica Garcia's album, "Gemelo."
CONTRERAS: And me being the Spotify geek that I am, I made a playlist.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I did. I made a playlist of artists like Lau Noah - the artists that we were going to play on the show - Kali Uchis, Angelica Garcia. The - and when you put it on random, it works so well, even though they're stylistically so different. But that's the beauty of it all. It's really, really, a lot of fun to put on random.
SAYRE: ALT.LATINO, the unofficial we-love-a-good-female-vocals show.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: It's true. It's always been the case.
SAYRE: A strong female vocalist.
CONTRERAS: Oh, you know, you joke, but almost from the beginning of the show in 2010, it's always the female vocalists who pop out for some reason.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: For some reason.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: Isa lives up to her title again.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: Let's stop (ph).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: All right, Felix. What's your last pick? Take it away.
CONTRERAS: OK - still in a mellow mood. I'm going to drop...
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I'm going to - why are you guys laughing at me?
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: Sorry.
CONTRERAS: I'm going to drop some jazz in today. So I'm going to turn to the jazz saxophone.
SAYRE: Yeah, you are, Felix.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I have jazz saxophone.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: Oh, God.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: (Singing) Let's go.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: You going to whip it out...
CONTRERAS: Wait, wait, wait, wait.
SAYRE: ...And start (laughter) playing for us...
CONTRERAS: (Laughter) Stop it.
SAYRE: ...Felix?
CONTRERAS: Stop it.
SAYRE: It's a Felix original.
CONTRERAS: Stop it. Stop.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: Oh, my God. You guys...
SAYRE: Best record of the year.
(LAUGHTER)
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Stop, stop, stop.
SAYRE: (Laughter) Felix solo.
CONTRERAS: I'm going to keep the women artist groove going with Melissa Aldana, a jazz saxophonist from Chile. Her album is called "Echoes Of The Inner Prophet." This is a little bit of the track called "I Know You Know."
(SOUNDBITE OF MELISSA ALDANA'S "I KNOW YOU KNOW")
CONTRERAS: OK. Everyone in the room now is looking at me like, OK, Felix.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: You just completely stopped the party. But let me just...
SAYRE: I support you.
CONTRERAS: OK. But let me just say, you know, I think Melissa Aldana's music is a great introduction for people who are - let's say, you're a fan of Trueno or some of these other artists - it's a great way to be introduced to jazz as a way of expressing emotion that is usually done through lyrics but, in this case, through this very, very introspective and beautiful sound between her saxophone and the guitar. And I think that that's the beauty of jazz - is it's another way to get all of these emotions that we promote in every other way on this show but through instrumental music.
And Melissa Aldana is part of this young wave of musicians who come from Latin American countries - she's from Chile - who - some of them reflect some of their own cultural background, but others just immerse themselves in the sound of - in the tradition of jazz and make a mark that way. And Melissa Aldana is one of the - one of those artists on the forefront of that.
(SOUNDBITE OF MELISSA ALDANA'S "I KNOW YOU KNOW")
SAYRE: What emotion do you hear in that exchange between the guitar and the sax?
CONTRERAS: Contemplation, thinking about bigger things, thinking about our place in life. This whole record is really about looking within because it's dedicated to Wayne Shorter - saxophonist Wayne Shorter - who was the epitome of introspective music but also very expressive. So that's - it's - to me, this whole record is about digging deep within yourself and trying to find out more about yourself through just listening.
There's a camaraderie. There's a communication. There's also an emotion. And the same thing - whether you're in a studio in Argentina making hip-hop or whether you're in a studio in New York making a jazz album, it's still all about communication. And it's all about expressing - getting on the same playing field and then expressing that so that we can all take it in.
SAYRE: Well, it's funny, Felix, 'cause this is also an homage. I mentioned earlier that Trueno's record is an homage to all of these greats in hip-hop - mostly American hip-hop artists. So it's like, why is a Chilean jazz artist doing an homage to Wayne Shorter?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: 'Cause he's the GOAT.
CONTRERAS: Yep. That's pretty much it. Wayne Shorter was the - a giant walking the Earth. He passed away in 2023, and he left this trail of fans all over the world. He left this amazing set of music. And this album is a homage to him and his influence and what he meant personally to Melissa Aldana. And it can change from day to day. I could listen to this six months from now and hear celebration and joy or reverence or contemplation. It just depends on where your own headspace is and what you want to get out of it.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah. And I think there's something particular about it being an instrumental track and an instrumental album. Like, that contemplation comes through way more than if you were listening to a vocalist, in my opinion, or at least that's how I feel when I listen to jazz or when I listen to instrumental music. I think those emotions - I don't know - they just resonate more than if you're listening to somebody's lyricism over it.
(SOUNDBITE OF MELISSA ALDANA'S "I KNOW YOU KNOW")
CONTRERAS: There was one album that all three of us agreed that was really one of the best of the year so far. I don't know. Isa, you lead us off. Like, tell us about this record.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The record is "Grasa" by Nathy Peluso. I have to admit I have not historically been a huge Nathy Peluso fan. But this album - the minute I hit play, it was - it just blew me away. This is the track "Legendario" off "Grasa" by Nathy Peluso.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LEGENDARIO")
NATHY PELUSO: (Singing) Me tomé siete pastillas para ir a dormir... Todo el mundo dice: "Nathy, ¿qué te pasa?"... Cara de resaca y tengo que salir... Con los paparazzis en la puerta de mi casa... "Déjate de maquinar, no debe de ser tan grave"... Me tengo que acostumbrar... Porque cuando lo ves de cerca va perdiendo la belleza... Me falta una esquina pa' acabar de la cabeza... El nombre que me dio mamá lo convertí en empresa... No lo hice para venderlo, solo para hacerlo... legendario... Me doy un shot y le doy un beso a mi rosario...
SAYRE: You know, the funny thing about all of this is this record made its way. It started with Isa. Isa texts me. She goes, Ana, you have to listen to this record. I'm not usually a Nathy fan, but you have to listen to this record. I listen to the record. I'm like, Felix, I'm trapping you in the car until...
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: ...You listen to this record (laughter).
CONTRERAS: I was giving you a ride home when we played it.
SAYRE: (Laughter) And it got all of us.
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SAYRE: It really did - because that's how amazing this record is.
CONTRERAS: There are so many stylistic changes, but the through line is her musical vision, right?
SAYRE: Mmm hmm. Absolutely. And her voice has never been so strong - I mean, literally, but also in that way. I mean, the vision - she's played with things like salsa before. In her past records, she did that. But she didn't quite know, I think, how to paint with it yet in the way that she does it here, you know? Because anyone can play with some of the best sounds, some of the most vibrant things that we have, right? And I do think salsa is one of those. It's like, you know, choosing to play with, like, old Vincent van Gogh oil paints as opposed to, like, the watercolors you pick up at Michaels or whatever. Like, add a salsa sound into (laughter) your record, and it's going to be something interesting.
But then she knows how to really dial it up and paint something beautiful with it. And that's what she did here. And I'm so blown away by all the switch-ups. What is accentuated here is the rap that is at her core. That's the core of this record, and that's what carries it. But she does it and accentuates it in so many different, beautiful ways.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: I think it comes back to that idea of it doesn't feel like she's doing salsa by just, you know, checking a box of having done salsa. Like, there is this cohesion throughout the album, even when she's working with someone like Blood Orange, who you wouldn't expect. I mean, I think this is, like, "El madrileño, " "Motomami"-level work. So it's really exciting to see her bring in even a collaborator like Dev Hynes, who is coming from a complete other corner of the music industry. But there's such synergy in the way that they work together. And I think, you know, Nathy's vocals just really, really got me. I am a Nathy Peluso convert after this record.
SAYRE: And, you know, actually, Felix, you're going to like this. She scrapped her whole original record, and she was like, it's not my vision - 'cause, like you said, you can pick up - her vision is very clear. And she was like, I just made this whole other record, and it's not sitting right with me.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: And you know what's crazy? The legendary Argentine rockero Fito Páez actually gave her the advice to pay attention to what she really wanted to do, so she actually ended up throwing the songs out.
CONTRERAS: "Grasa" is the name of the record. The artist is Nathy Peluso. OK. There was so much great music released this year that it's impossible to squeeze it in. We did the best we could with these tracks that we have so far. We're going to squeeze in a couple of more honorable mentions. The first album I have is "Malegría" from guitarist Fabi Reyna and her group Reyna Tropical.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CARTAGENA")
REYNA TROPICAL: (Singing) Luna pa' las hierbas... Me estás curando..
CONTRERAS: The second album I have is from Daymé Arocena. It's called "Alkemi." It's her high watermark. It's her best, best stuff so far.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A FUEGO LENTO")
DAYMÉ AROCENA: (Singing) Me enamoras con tu luz… Con lo dulce de tu voz… Provocando un descontrol… Desnudando esta pasión…
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: OK. My honorable mentions - you know I have to bring in a Venezuelan artist. So when he wasn't beefing with Residente, Akapellah somehow found time to make this album, "Pedro Elías" - just straight-up hip-hop, a really good time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NI CON MONEY")
AKAPELLAH: (Rapping) Soy un matón, yo... Juego con el ego de mis enemies... Los pongo a caminar en filita con la flauta de Hamelín... Soy como el puma que se acerca, pero no se ve venir... Les pego cuando menos se lo esperan como el Hennessy... (Tac-tac) Después de esto no hay quien te contrate...
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: And then, of course, The Marias just put out an album called "Submarine." This is going to be the TikTok earworm of the summer. I'm saying it right now.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: But again, just a really dance-y (ph), fun time. I love The Marias.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN YOUR MOUTH")
THE MARIAS: (Singing) You're on my case. Mmm hmm. Won't you stop with that look on your face? And I can't believe - mmm hmm - that you only hold me when I'm on my knees. Got me so tied up, when you push my...
SAYRE: So my first honorable mention - I have to mention the Grupo Frontera record. I think we all loved this one.
CONTRERAS: Yes.
SAYRE: It just came out. It's called "Jugando A Que No Pasa Nada."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME HIZO UN FAVOR")
GRUPO FRONTERA: (Singing) En tu historia eres la víctima, pero la cosa cambia si yo hablo… Me mandó al infierno, pero hace rato que ya dormía con el diablo…
SAYRE: My second honorable mention is "Sayonara" - Álvaro Díaz out of Puerto Rico. This is his record he just released. It's amazing.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GATITAS SANDUNGUERAS VOL. 1")
FEID: (Singing) Mami, no, no pare', yeh… Ella' tratan de imitarte, 'mor, pero no les sale… Se enteró que su gato la cagó, dijo: "hoy se sale"…
CONTRERAS: What an amazing collection of records. What great company to talk about music with.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
CONTRERAS: Isa Gomez Sarmiento, thank you so much for joining us this week.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Thank you.
CONTRERAS: You have been listening to ALT.LATINO from NPR Music. We get editorial support from Hazel Cills.
SAYRE: And the woman who keeps us on track is Grace Chung.
CONTRERAS: The great Joaquin Cotler cuts all this audio and makes a great podcast out of it every week.
SAYRE: And our executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our jefe-in-chief is Keith Jenkins, VP of music and visuals.
CONTRERAS: I'm Felix Contreras.
SAYRE: And I'm Anamaria Sayre. Thanks...
CONTRERAS: Thank you...
ANAMARIA SAYRE AND FELIX CONTRERAS: ...So much for listening.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
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