The Music Room has been transformed into the Spanish Music Room. We will no longer attempt to cover music from around the world. We will specialize in music and dance from the world’s Spanish-speaking cultures.
The room’s editor, Andrea Varricchio, Professor of Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages at West Chester University, welcomes your reviews of current CDs, both voice and instrumental, as well as reviews of musical performances available on DVD. She would also welcome short articles about music and dance on a wide range of topics, e.g. Flamenco in Andalusia, the zarzuela of Spanish opera, classical music, rock, and pop.
We would like to create additional music rooms but each room would need a responsible editor.

If you would like to volunteer to become the editor of a music room for another language, contact Christine.

The Music Collections for Spanish and the other languages will continue to be available. Simply click on Collection and then select the language.

November 2009

Lo mejor de Andrea Bocelli-Vivere, 2007
Bocelli, Andrea
Sugar S.r.l. and Universal Music International B.V.
Available on: http://music.aol.com

Lo mejor de Andrea Bocelli CD is the Spanish translation of the Best of Andrea Bocelli. Now we have a reason to bring Andrea into our Spanish language classrooms! Bocelli sings the popular love song “Bésame Mucho” by Consuelo Velazquez.  It is the only song on the album that was originally composed in Spanish.  “Vive Ya (Vivere), a duet with Laura Pausini, another popular Italian artist who frequently records in Spanish (See my previous review), would appeal to students with its message of living life to the fullest. Students will also relate to the duet “Vivo por Ella (Vivo per lei)” with Marta Sanchez. It is not until the end of the song when the listener learns that “Ella se llama música.” Bocelli’s solo songs sung in Spanish and Italian are more operatic and melancholy and may not appeal to the younger student.  In addition, the solo songs in translation seem to lack the emotion that is felt in the original Italian versions.  In “O’Mare e Tu” Bocelli sings in Italian and Dulce Pontes sings in Portuguese to the compelling rhythm of the Portuguese fado.  The CD also includes a duet with Celine Dion who sings in English.  Aside from translation glitches, the poetic song lyrics offer examples of the future tense and ser vs. estar and could easily serve as short readings  accompanied by music.  In short, this CD is an interesting mix of several different languages and is a fine example of bilingual recording artists.
- Recommended by Andrea Varricchio, Music Review Editor, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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September 2009

Enrique, 1999
Iglesias, Enrique
Interscope Records, Universal Music & Video Distribution, Inc.

Available on Amazon.com

While Enrique is Iglesias’ first album in English, the last three songs are the Spanish versions of “Rhythm Divine,” “Sad Eyes,” and “I’m Your Man:” “Ritmo total,” “Más es amar,” and “No puedo más sin ti.” These three songs provide lively Latin pop beats that will shake up any classroom. Not only is the music bailable, the lyrics provide excellent examples of commonly taught language structures. “No puedo más sin ti” has several examples of the subjunctive mood in nominative clauses, along with indirect object pronouns and objects of prepositions. “Ritmo total” uses several informal imperatives throughout and the formal imperative, Viva la música. Both songs help students see the practicality of the grammar forms that helped Enrique soar to gold or platinum in thirty-two countries.
- Recommended by Andrea Varricchio, Spanish Music Room Editor, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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July 2009

Mujer de Cabaret, Puerto Plata (2007)
Puerto Plata (a.k.a José Manuel Cobles) has been playing son music in the Dominican Republic for 60 years, and his style is reminiscent of the Dominican music banned by the dictator Rafael Trujillo before 1961. Puerto Plata plays with some truly excellent guitarists and other musicians, and the recordings are simple and not overly processed.
If you like the previously reviewed Pedro Luis Ferrer, from Cuba, you should give Puerto Plata a try. Like traditional merengue, Puerto Plata uses his music to comment on serious social and political issues (one track is a commentary on September 11), but the sound is decidedly upbeat. This kind of music is the essence of summer—kick back in your lawn chair, close your eyes, and you won’t be able to help imagining yourself on the beach, sipping a drink out of a coconut. It’s also great for dancing or driving (windows down all the way, please!) You can read about Puerto Plata and hear a sample here.
- Recommended by Abbe Spokane, Center for Applied Linguistics

Yo canto, Laura Pausini (2006)
La primera canción, "Yo canto" del album del mismo nombre, le da al oyente una sensación de alegría y optimismo la cual sigue durante todo el album. El estilo de pop rock europeo es para levantar a una de la silla para bailar. La voz de Pausini es dulce y lleva mucha emoción a la lírica clara y poética. Según Wikipedia la cantante italiana empezó su carrera en 1993 con "La solitudine" en italiano, luego en 1994 empezó a grabar en español. Yo canto ganó el Grammy 2006 para el Album Pop Latino del Año.
- Recommended by Andrea Varricchio, West Chester University, PA, Spanish Music Review Editor

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