Salsa romántica

"Salsa romántica", also known as "salsa monga", is a sub-genre of salsa music that between the mid 1980s and early 1990s in New York and Puerto Rico. It has been the most commercially successful form of salsa in the last 20 years, despite criticism that it is a pale imitation of "real" salsa.

Description and Origins

"Salsa romántica" arose at a time when classic, big-band salsa, of the kind popularized by Fania Records in the 1970s, was taking a severe beating on the Latin record charts, owing to the merengue boom and the rise of Latin pop. To give the music broader commercial appeal, especially in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, emphasis was taken away from the hard-hitting orchestrations of the 60s, 70s and early 80s, and focused mainly on the romantic, softer aspects of salsa, creating a mixture of earlier "salsa brava" and the ballad style. "Salsa romántica" was championed in recordings by, among others, Eddie Santiago, Frankie Ruiz, Luis Enrique, Willie Gonzalez, Lalo Rodriguez, Tito Nieves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Rojas, and Jerry Rivera. Rodven Records, PolyGram, and RMM are some of the labels that were used during its era.

Criticism

Critics of "salsa romántica", especially in the late 80s and early 90s, called it a commercialized, watered-down form of Latin pop, in which formulaic, sentimental love ballads were simply put to an Afro-Cuban beat--leaving no room for classic salsa’s brilliant musical improvisation, or for classic salsa lyrics that tell stories of daily life or provide social and political commentary. Marketing, it is true, often has been based more on the youthful sex appeal of the singers than on the quality of their music. For these reasons, the form sometimes has been derided as "salsa monga" (limp or flaccid salsa), as opposed to "salsa gorda" or "salsa dura" (fat or hard salsa).

The Form Today

However, the strict lines between "salsa romántica" and classic salsa have been blurring in recent years. Several performers have succeeded in blending elements of "salsa romántica" and more hard-driving, traditional salsa, including Tito Rojas, Eddie Santiago, Anthony Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, La India, and Victor Manuelle.

Jerry Rivera was the first salsero to go triple platnum with his record "Cuenta Conmigo" ("Count on Me") which was all salsa romantica.

Luis Enrique, Marc Anthony and Victor Manuelle are the best-known performers of "salsa romántica" today. Young "salseros" gravitating to the form include Tito Rojas, Anthony Cruz, Angel López (former lead singer of Son by Four), Frankie Negrón, Kevin Ceballo, Charlie Cruz, and Jay Lozada.

Omar Alfanno is probably the most prolific songwriter in the "salsa romántica" genre. Other notable composers include Palmer Hernandez and Jorge Luis Piloto. Antonio "Tony" Moreno, Sergio George and Julio "Gunda" Merced are some of the most notable producers in the "salsa romántica" genre.

Salsa erótica

"Salsa erótica" (or “erotic salsa”) was a short-lived offshoot of "salsa romántica" in the late 1980s, in which a few performers branched off into explicitly sexual lyrics. The most popular "salsa erótica" recordings are probably "“Ven, Devórame Otra Vez”" ("Come, Devour Me Again") by Lalo Rodriguez, in which the singer is imploring his woman for another session of oral sex; and "“Desnúdate, Mujer”"(“Get Naked, Woman”)& "Quiero Hacerte el Amor" (I want to make love to you') by Frankie Ruiz.

Notable singers and songs

* Luis Enrique-"Tu No Le Amas, Le Temes"; "Mi Mundo"; "Desesperado"; "Solo"; "Lo Que Paso Entre Tu Y Yo... Paso"; "Aventura"; "Amiga"; "Date Un Chance"; "El Amor Es algo Mas"; "Lucia"; "Asi Es La Vida"; "Romanticos Al Rescate"; "Quien eres tu"; "Muerto de Amor"; "Comprendelo"
* Eddie Santiago-"Lluvia"; "Tu Me Quemas"; "Que Locura Enamorado de Ti"; "Tu Me Haces Falta"; "Antidoto y Veneno"; "Me Fallaste"; "Mia"
* Nino Segarra-"Porque Te Amo"
* Jerry Rivera-"Amores Como El Nuestro"; "Esa Niña"; "Estoy Enloqueciendo Por Ti"; "Que Hay de Malo"; "Cara de Niño"
* La India-"Ese Hombre"; "Dicen Que Soy"; "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte"; "O Ella o yo"
* Lalo Rodriguez-"Ven Devórame Otra Vez"; "No Tuve a Nadie"
* Rey Ruiz-"Mi Media Mitad"; "No Me Acostumbro"; "Amiga"
* José Alberto "El Canario"-"Sueño Contigo"
* Tito Nieves-"Sonámbulo"; "Almohada"; "El Amor Más Bonito"; "De Mi Enamorate"
* Gilberto Santa Rosa-"Perdoname"; "Que Manera De Quererte"
* Marc Anthony-"Hasta Que Te Conoci"; "El Ultimo Beso"; "Si Tu No Te Fueras"; "Te Conozco Bien"; "Nadie Como Ella"; "Te Amaré"
* Grupo Niche-"Duele Mas"; "Nuestro Sueño"; "Una Aventura"; "Hagamos Lo Que Digan El Corazon"
* Tony Vega-"Lo Mio Es Amor"
* Tommy Olivencia-"Lobo Domesticado"; "Lo dudo"; "Trago fuerte y un coctel"
* Tito Rojas-"Siempre Sere"; "Porque Este Amor"; "Condename A Tu Amor"; "A Ti Volveré"
* Willie Gonzalez - "No Podrás Escapar de Mi"
* Victor Manuelle-"Dile A Ella"; "Me Dara El Consietmiento"; "Tu Volverás"
* David Pabon-"Aquel Viejo Motel"; "Por Instinto"
* Orquesta de la Luz-"Tu Eres El Hombre"
* Andy Montañez-"Casi Te Envido"; "Larga Distancia"; "Payaso"
* Frankie Ruiz-"Desnudate Mujer"; "La Cura"; "Tu Me Vuelves Loco"; "Voy Pa' Encima"; "Impossible Amor"; "Lo Dudo"; "Tu Con El"; "Quiero Llenarte"
* Edgar Joel-"Hasta el Sol de Hoy"