Salsa romantica
Encyclopedia
Salsa Romántica, also known as Salsa Erotica, is a soft form of salsa music
that emerged between the mid 1980s and early 1990s in New York City 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, often called "salsa dura." Salsa romantica originated in Puerto Rico while Salsa Dura originated in New York City by Puerto Rican's who migrated to the mainland.
in the late 1970s and early 80s, 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 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
, La India
, La Palabra
, Giro Lopez, Frankie Ruiz
, Luis Enrique
, Willie Gonzalez, Lalo Rodríguez
, Tito Nieves
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
, Tito Rojas
, and Jerry Rivera
. Rodven Records
, PolyGram
, and RMM
were some of the dominant labels during this era.
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. The marketing of salsa romántica singers has often been based more on their youthful sex appeal 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).
, Tito Rojas
, Eddie Santiago
, Anthony Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa
, and Víctor Manuelle
.
Jerry Rivera
was the first salsero to go triple platinum with his record "Cuenta Conmigo
" ("Count on Me") which was all salsa romantica.
La India
, Luis Enrique
, Giro Lopez, Marc Anthony
and Víctor Manuelle are the best-known performers of salsa romántica today. Young salseros gravitating to the form include Tito Rojas, Anthony Cruz, Frankie Negrón
, Kevin Ceballo
, Charlie Cruz
, and Jay Lozada.
Omar Alfanno is probably the most prolific songwriter in the salsa romántica genre he was hand held into the business by Salsa Dura songwriter Johnny Ortiz. Other notable composers include Palmer Hernandez and Jorge Luis Piloto. Antonio "Tony" Moreno, Chino Rodriguez
, Sergio George
and Julio "Gunda" Merced are some of the most notable producers in the salsa romántica genre.
, in which the singer is imploring his woman for another session of sex; and "Desnúdate, Mujer"("Get Naked, Woman") by Frankie Ruiz
, and "La Cita" by Galy Galiano.
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
that emerged between the mid 1980s and early 1990s in New York City and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. 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, often called "salsa dura." Salsa romantica originated in Puerto Rico while Salsa Dura originated in New York City by Puerto Rican's who migrated to the mainland.
Description and origins
Salsa romántica arose at a time when classic, big-band salsa, of the kind popularized by Fania RecordsFania Records
Fania Records was a New York based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from an old Cuban song by the singer Reinaldo Bolaño. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become...
in the late 1970s and early 80s, was taking a severe beating on the Latin record charts, owing to the merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
boom and the rise of Latin pop
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
. 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 80s, and focused mainly on the romantic, softer aspects of salsa, creating a mixture of earlier salsa brava and the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
style. Salsa romántica was championed in recordings by, among others, Eddie Santiago
Eddie Santiago
Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...
, La India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
, La Palabra
La Palabra (musician)
La Palabra is a well-respected bandleader, singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, and arranger, known for his versatile approach to music, particularly his invention of the Salsa romantica Latin music genre and his signature style of Afro-Cuban-influenced, sensual Latin jazz.-Early...
, Giro Lopez, Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...
, Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique (singer)
Luis Enrique Mejía López, is a Nicaraguan singer and composer. He started his career in the late 1980s and achieved success in the 1990s earning the title "El Principe de la Salsa . He was one of the leading pioneers that led to the salsa romantica movement in the 1980s...
, Willie Gonzalez, Lalo Rodríguez
Lalo Rodriguez
Lalo Rodríguez , born in 1958 in Carolina, Puerto Rico is a salsa singer and musician is best known for his hit "Ven Devórame Otra Vez"....
, Tito Nieves
Tito Nieves
Humberto "Tito" Nieves became one of the leading Salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s....
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
, Tito Rojas
Tito Rojas
Julio César Rojas better known"El Gallo Salsero" Tito Rojas is a salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:...
, and Jerry Rivera
Jerry Rivera
-Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...
. Rodven Records
Rodven Records
Rodven Records was a Venezuelan record label that belonged to the Cisneros family owned ODC group, then proprietors of one of the largest TV networks in the country, VENEVISION...
, PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, and RMM
RMM Records & Video
RMM Records, also known as RMM Records & Video Corp, was an independent Latin music record label based in New York City, The record label was formed originally as RMM Management by one of Fania Records promoter Ralph Mercado, but in 1987 it started operating as a record label, with Angelito...
were some of the dominant labels during this 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-CubanAfro-Cuban
The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
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. The marketing of salsa romántica singers has often been based more on their youthful sex appeal 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
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 La IndiaLa India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
, Tito Rojas
Tito Rojas
Julio César Rojas better known"El Gallo Salsero" Tito Rojas is a salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:...
, Eddie Santiago
Eddie Santiago
Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...
, Anthony Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
, and Víctor Manuelle
Victor Manuelle
Víctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on November 4, 1968 in Bronx, New York, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud...
.
Jerry Rivera
Jerry Rivera
-Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...
was the first salsero to go triple platinum with his record "Cuenta Conmigo
Cuenta Conmigo
Cuenta Conmigo is Jerry Rivera's second and most successful album. The album holds the record for the best-selling salsa album, selling over five million copies. His hit song, "Amores Como el Nuestro", is considered by his fans to be his best song and signature song...
" ("Count on Me") which was all salsa romantica.
La India
La India
La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
, Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique (singer)
Luis Enrique Mejía López, is a Nicaraguan singer and composer. He started his career in the late 1980s and achieved success in the 1990s earning the title "El Principe de la Salsa . He was one of the leading pioneers that led to the salsa romantica movement in the 1980s...
, Giro Lopez, Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
and Víctor Manuelle are the best-known performers of salsa romántica today. Young salseros gravitating to the form include Tito Rojas, Anthony Cruz, Frankie Negrón
Frankie Negron
Frankie Negrón is a singer of Salsa music of Puerto Rican descent...
, Kevin Ceballo
Kevin Ceballo
Kevin Ceballo is a singer of Salsa music of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Ceballo's parents immigrated from Puerto Rico and settled in Manhattan where Ceballo was born. His parents are Seventh-Day Adventists. Ceballo was exposed to and enjoyed the gospel singing at his House of Worship...
, Charlie Cruz
Charlie Cruz
Charlie Cruz is one of the new stars of the salsa music genre. His start was well received by the Puerto Rican recording industry. Born in 1975 in Puerto Rico Cruz was the oldest of seven siblings. He lived his adolescent years in Paterson, New Jersey, in the United States, where he grew to love...
, and Jay Lozada.
Omar Alfanno is probably the most prolific songwriter in the salsa romántica genre he was hand held into the business by Salsa Dura songwriter Johnny Ortiz. Other notable composers include Palmer Hernandez and Jorge Luis Piloto. Antonio "Tony" Moreno, Chino Rodriguez
Chino Rodriguez
Chino Rodriguez is an internationally acclaimed music producer, band leader, musician, manager, booking agent, record company executive, business consultant, and record label owner, specializing in Latin music, most notably Salsa and Latin jazz...
, Sergio George
Sergio George
Sergio George is a pianist and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres as well...
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 RodríguezLalo Rodriguez
Lalo Rodríguez , born in 1958 in Carolina, Puerto Rico is a salsa singer and musician is best known for his hit "Ven Devórame Otra Vez"....
, in which the singer is imploring his woman for another session of sex; and "Desnúdate, Mujer"("Get Naked, Woman") by Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz
Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...
, and "La Cita" by Galy Galiano.
Top Songs of the Era (Hot Latin Tracks)
List of salsa romantica singers and songs that have made the Top Ten in Hot Latin Tracks during the 1980s and 1990s.- Eddie SantiagoEddie SantiagoEddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...
: Lluvia #4, Tu Me Quemas #10, Tu Me Haces Falta #9, Me Faltas Tu #9, Hasta Aqui Te Fui Fiel #8 - Frankie RuizFrankie RuizFrankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...
: Desnudate Mujer #6, Mi Libertad #10, Ironia #6 - Lalo RodríguezLalo RodriguezLalo Rodríguez , born in 1958 in Carolina, Puerto Rico is a salsa singer and musician is best known for his hit "Ven Devórame Otra Vez"....
: Ven Devorame Otra Vez #9 - Luis EnriqueLuis Enrique (singer)Luis Enrique Mejía López, is a Nicaraguan singer and composer. He started his career in the late 1980s and achieved success in the 1990s earning the title "El Principe de la Salsa . He was one of the leading pioneers that led to the salsa romantica movement in the 1980s...
: Mi Mundo #6, Asi es la Vida #10 - Rey RuizRey RuizRey Ruiz is a salsa singer from Cuba. Ruiz reached international fame across Latin America, Europe and among Hispanic music fans in the United States.-Biography:...
: Mi Media Mitad #7 - Marc AnthonyMarc AnthonyMarc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
: Vivir Lo Nuestro (with La India) #10, Se Me Sigue Olvidando #6, Te Conozco Bien #7, Y Hubo Alguien #1, Contra La Corriente #2 - La IndiaLa IndiaLa India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
: Vivir Lo Nuestro (with Marc Anthony) #10, Mi Mayor Venganza #4 - Tony VegaTony VegaTony Vega is a renowned salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:Vega received his primary education in his hometown. He was born into a family of musicians and therefore learned how to play the bongos and conga at an early age. In 1967, when he was 10 years old, he played the conga for a kids...
: Ella Es #7 - Jerry RiveraJerry Rivera-Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...
: Que Hay de Malo #4 - Víctor ManuelleVictor ManuelleVíctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on November 4, 1968 in Bronx, New York, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud...
: Hay Que Poner el Alma #6, Dile a Ella #9 - Gilberto Santa RosaGilberto Santa RosaGilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
: No Quiero Na Regala'o #10, Esa Parte de Mi #8 - Frankie NegrónFrankie NegronFrankie Negrón is a singer of Salsa music of Puerto Rican descent...
: Agua Pasada #3, Princesa #8 - Tommy OlivenciaTommy OlivenciaTommy Olivencia was a renowned bandleader of salsa music.-Early years:Olivencia, was born Ángel Tomás Olivencia Pagán in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. There received his primary and secondary education...
: Lobo Domesticado #7 - Domingo QuiñonesDomingo QuiñonesDomingo Quiñones is a singer of salsa music. He is also a composer, producer and actor.Domingo Quinones was born on August 9, 1963 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. When he was four years old he moved to Puerto Rico with his parents and lived in Ceiba. He returned to New York City in 1977. He began his...
: No Voy a Dejarte Ir #6