Los Pikadientes De Caborca-"La Cumbia Del Rio"
Probably the funnest Cumbia I've heard coming out of Mexico since Celso Piña's  monster hit "Cumbia Sobre El Rio" Los Pikadientes created their own style of drunken pueblo Cumbia that is fun as anything you would hear at a Mardi Gras. The video for the song is excelient as well.

Jose James-"Park Bench People"
This song is a validation to all the L.A. underground Hip-Hop heads that felt Freestyle Fellowship were light years ahead of their time. Jose James adds more jazz but doesn't stop the flow. Such a visual and beautifully lonely song.

Hijos De La Cumbia-"La Mara Tomasa"
Maybe it was the Caifanes sample or that it borrowed heavily from Andres Landero's "Mi Machete". Either way I couldn't stop playing this song in the clubs or at my house.

Erikah Badu-"Cleva" (Captain Planet Remix)
This was the B-Side to Greenwood Rhythm Coalition remix of Erikah Badu "Honey". It's a Samba version of her hit from her Mama's Gun album. Fits right in with the classic Brazilian music and never failed to make heads turn at the clubs.

Patato Y Totico-"Dilo Como Yo" (Antibalas Remix)
Antibalas took this Patato Y Totico classic and took it into outer space via Africa. Best track off the Verve Remix Vol.4

Nortec Collective Present Bostich & Fussible-"The Clap"
Part Kraftwerk and part Los Tigres Del Norte, and they make it work!

1.The Buena Vista Social Club -Live At Carnegie Hall
2. Omara Portuondo-Gracia
3. Candido Y Su Movimiento - Palos De Fuego
4. Willie Colon- El Malo Vol. II: Prisioneros Del Mambo
5. Jose Lugo-Guasabara
6.Tabaco Y Su Metales-Grandes Exitos
7. Pachapo-El Super Tumbao
8. Tony Rojas-Introducing Tony Rojas
9. The Buena Vista Social Club-S/T
10. Bebo Valdes/Javier Colina - Live At The Village Vanguard

Once again The Buena Vista Social Club franchise ruled the Christmas charts, coming in at number one, two and nine. Live At Carnegie Hall is the full concert that you see towards the end of the Buena Vista Social Club movie. Omara Portuondo's latest came with much hype from NPR, which fueled her sales.  The Buena Vista Social Club is usually a safe bet at Christmas time.The movie was a great and all the stories behind the musicians involved are quite triumphant. However, if you want something a little more modern, there are releases from Willie Colon and pianist Jose Lugo (not to be confused with the Seattle Mairiner pitcher with the same name), which round off the top five. Colon’s El Malo Vol. II: Prisioneros Del Mambo is Willie’s first album in eleven years and Jose Lugo's effort has many special guests from Bobby Valentin to Gilberto Santa Rosa. Fans of modern day Hard Salsa should love this.

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These are the top selling Latin Rock & Pop titles at Amoeba Hollywood from the dates of November 28th through December 28, 2008. Maybe you were lucky enough to get one of these releases as a gift. If not, maybe you can buy it for yourself!
 
1. Aterciopelados-Rio
2. Rodrigo Y Gabriela-Live In Japan
3. Calle 13-Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo
4. V/A-Arriba La Cumbia
5. Ricardo Arjona-Quinto Piso
6. Eydie Gorme Y Los Panchos -Cantan En Español
7. Juana Molina-Un Dia
8. Monica Naranjo-Tarantula
9. Juanes-La Vida Es Un Ratico En Vivo
10. Manu Chao-Clandestino

Aterciopelados' newest release took the top spot. Released in early November, it didn’t sell that well upon release but it picked up steam as the gift giving days approached. The same went for the live Rodrigo Y Gabriela. For the most part, live releases don’t do too well but Rodrigo Y Gabriela are known for the intense live shows and this made a great gift for anyone who went to their shows or hopes to see them live in the future.

Calle 13’s latest is good but it’s hard not to compare it their previous releases. It’s not that Los De Atras is a bad album, it's just that they set the bar so high with last year’s Residente o Visitante that anything they would have done would be considered a drop-off. Still, there are plenty of great tracks on the album and Calle 13 continues to be one of the most original groups around.

Last year around this time we were asked to make predictions for the upcoming year. One of my predictions had to do with Spanish Reggae. The popularity of Spanish Reggae in 2007 led me to believe that 2008 would be its year. Sadly, to fans of the genre, more of the same happened. Good Spanish Reggae releases went under the radar with poor distribution and very little press. However, Spanish Reggae still boils in the underground. There were some solid releases by some groups and last summer witnessed one of the biggest Spanish Reggae and Ska festivals ever to hit Los Angeles, with groups coming all over Latin America to perform at it.

I spoke with Amoeba employee Eric Vidal, who works in Amoeba’s Reggae section, about what he thought about the current state of Spanish Reggae and where it’s heading.

So was this the year for Spanish Reggae?

EV: Yeah, more people are into it, not huge amounts of people, but more people than before.

What are the new people like?

EV: Definitely more Raza is into it, especially the younger conscious crowd. Older Spanish rock heads are into it, coming from artists like Manu Chao and Todos Tus Muertos, and Raza who are into hip-hop and obviously people who are into Jamaican Reggae.

Who were your favorite Spanish Reggae artists this year?

EV:  Alika, for sure. The new Gondwana was pretty tight. I also like the CD from Riddim. Locally, bands like Quinto Sol, Pachamama and Umoverde held it together, mixing Reggae with like Cumbia and Salsa. It makes it easier for people who cannot identify with roots music unless it’s fused with music that Raza is familiar with.