TUNES FOR TUESDAY -- Salsa Is Dead
Yes, you read it right. Salsa Music is dead. In Tunes for Tuesday, we have traveled through the origins, birth and evolution of this genre, and I was waiting for the end of the happy holiday season to break this more disconcerting news to all my readers. This may not be news to some Salsa followers, however. Some of you might have suspected it was so, and yet others may now acknowledge that they were in a deep state of denial.
The only ray of hope that remains here is that this is just my opinion, so some of you may choose to continue to cling to your nostalgia and ignore reality. But allow me to explain my point: I believe that Salsa's slow and painful death began soon after the genre reached its Golden Years in the late 1970s and 1980s. The late 80s saw the advent of a group of performers who hijacked the genre, and began producing something they labeled "Salsa Sensual" (no translation required here). This movement became extremely popular and soon invaded radio waves everywhere. Sure, it helped spread the rhythm. But by the time Salsa moved from the underground to the mainstream (and became the most played genre on the radio), what people were listening to was as diluted as its performers' sense of modesty. The old artful songs became archaic classics.
The only ray of hope that remains here is that this is just my opinion, so some of you may choose to continue to cling to your nostalgia and ignore reality. But allow me to explain my point: I believe that Salsa's slow and painful death began soon after the genre reached its Golden Years in the late 1970s and 1980s. The late 80s saw the advent of a group of performers who hijacked the genre, and began producing something they labeled "Salsa Sensual" (no translation required here). This movement became extremely popular and soon invaded radio waves everywhere. Sure, it helped spread the rhythm. But by the time Salsa moved from the underground to the mainstream (and became the most played genre on the radio), what people were listening to was as diluted as its performers' sense of modesty. The old artful songs became archaic classics.
As with any other fad, however, the new sex ridden Salsa was bound to be temporary, overplayed, quickly forgotten, and then replaced. While on life support, Salsa produced some venerable hits. But it has since died and was buried. The last nail in the coffin was the songs by Marc Anthony
(aargh).
But since Salsa is Dead, Long Live Salsa! Here's one of those Songs that started its demise:
Tu me Quemas (ahem, You Burn Me) by Eddie Santiago
(aargh).
But since Salsa is Dead, Long Live Salsa! Here's one of those Songs that started its demise:
Tu me Quemas (ahem, You Burn Me) by Eddie Santiago
Comments
anyway, as the Notorious MLE points out, there are groups that are turning out good music. wasn't there a mini-blip outta new york with jimmy bosch, the ocho y mas album etc?