With the holiday season in full swing, it's a great time for music. And in particular, Latin music. Because nothing says SoFla holidays better than a nice little salsita. Maybe something by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico or Jose Feliciano. But glaringly absent from the music out this holiday season is La Universidad de la Salsa.
Which you can take as a bad thing. Sure, you could just go dust off your old holiday playlist and bust out the Arroz Con Habichuela (Rice and Beans) or the "Felix Navidad" ("Merry Christmas). Or you could try out the new shit. But once you do, you may decide that nothing beats the classics.
See the cut for Crossfade's list of the five Latin albums that might ruin Christmas.
5. Las Ardillitas' Exitos Navideños. Las Ardillitas literally translates to The Chipmunks. Only these don't look like any Chipmunks I grew up on! Someone get Alvin on the phone. These motherfuckers are going down.
4. Bachata 1's Vol 4. Yes, 'tis the season for tropical music. Which means 'tis also the season for compilation records. Bachata 1's will get all you Dominican tigres and tigressas dancing into the wee hours.
3. Top Latin Tropical. This one's a collection featuring everyone from Rey Ruiz to NG2 to Huey Dunbar. So, it's a little like A Christmas Carol, only with the ghost of Christmas past coming back again and again.
4. Diana Reyes's Navidad Duranguense. If you just said, "WTF?" you're not the only one. She dropped the same album five years ago. Of course, this one does have one new song. Seriously?? All they could muster in five years was ONE new song?
5. Chicas de Navidad A Spanish Christmas. This is an album of your favorite Christmas songs sung by children in Spanish. Touching. Of course, the title could use work. After all, you'd think that someone marketing an album to Latinos would know better than to title it "Spanish," when it isn't really from the motherland at all. And besides ... It's in English.
BONUS DISC! Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Fucking You)." No lie ... Kike just put this one out, featuring none other than Ludacris. Put this one on and watch your family light up like a National Lampoon's Christmas tree.
