Siembra

Absolutely perfect in the background hanging with friends. Great production, musicianship and energy.

Had a great time listening to this! Lots of great bass lines and rhythms to build out Colon’s trombone.

This was great.

I don't know much about salsa music, so I don't have much to say about this one. I liked the horns and piano parts, but I wasn't too fond of the back up singers. I enjoyed this enough while listening to it, but I doubt I will seek it out again. 3.5

Ég skemmti mér lúmskt mikið við að hlusta á salsa tónlist en ég hvorki dansa salsa né hef sökkt mér eitthvað sérstaklega ofan í tónlistarstefnuna. Þannig að ég þekki ekkert mikið til en mikið hressilega fannst mér þetta skemmtileg plata. Hún fer alveg pottþétt aftur í spilun og þá líklegast oft því mig langar bara í meira salsa.

Really rather liked this

I love this stuff but I‘m not sure I can tell the difference between a high quality salsa album and something less than. I enjoyed this, but I typically enjoy a lot of Latin sounds, so hard to feel good about my rating!

I'm not really familiar enough with Latin music to be able to distinguish whether this album stands out as good or not comparatively. But I did enjoy it. I don't think it's anything I'd rave about to a friend. But it had good vibes.

i love hearing different genres! and there was a lot to love in siembra. it was fun, it was smooth, it was chill, it had so many trombones!! the flow throughout the album was well done. nothing sounded out of place, and every song coasted into the next. absolutely no complaints. i understand why it's the best selling salsa album!

What a fantastic salsa album! The production here is so well done for the 1970s; you can hear the musicians and the vocalists crisply and cleanly. Speaking of both the musicians and the vocalists, salsa music requires that both of these sets of people be electrifying in their performance, and this album has that quality in abundance, without question. This album sets a high bar for salsa music and it's no wonder that it became the best selling salsa album of all time.

Great classic tejano

So this is salsa! Funky and delightful.

Definitely gonna put this in rotation, I liked the lyrics and I’m so surprised that it was recorded in the 70’s.

Very groovy, surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Not sure why there are babies on the cover? Love the trombones! I'm pretty new to this project, and is the second album (30-ish in) that has sampled West Side Story. I wonder how many more there will be. And whether that cast recording will be in here, given it's clearly had influence over albums included.

Makes me want to move my feet and shake my hips!!!

Nunca habia sido fan de la salsa. Sin embargo, con el tiempo ya no le tengo aversion y he aprendido a identificar su valor en el espectro musical; a distinguir la calidad e influencia de algunos grandes del genero. Entre ellos, Willie Colon destaca. Esa imagen de mafioso y misterio que forjo durante los 70 es magica. Su trabajo con Lavoe y Blades es legendario. Mi recomendacion es revisitarlo con atencion y pasion. Finalmente, Siembra puede que sea uno de los albumes mas socialmente conscientes y criticos de la salsa. Ruben trae sus letras, Willie su swing. Ambos hicieron historia.

upbeat salsa music. impossible to be in a bad mood after listening to this album. fun and lively.

Aina on näillä tåmän maailaisilla(etelämerik..) ongelma oma maa kultainen nähdään niin täydellisenä... ensimmäinen biisi ensimmäinen esimerkki WONKY ASS BEAT SOI. Ollaan ylpeitä wonky ass... Toinen esimerkki. Tuttuja kyseisestä paikasta ja perkele kun hienoa musiikkia aina.. esittää.. ruoka kulttuuri.. ruokatasku... eli ruokaa asian sisällä... deep fried... empanadas... ruan nimi..JA NÄITÄ RUOKA"KULTTUUREJA" SUOSITAAN NYKYPÄIVÄNÄ, VAIKKA VOIT OSTAA KAUPASTA MITÄ TAHANSA, HYVÄ JEE SYÖT SEN KULTTUURIN MUKAAN, JEE HYVÄ ETTÄ ON MAUKASTA RUOKAA, RUUAN MAUKKAUSHAN SE TÄRKEIN ASIA PERKELE 6 KK SITTEN VIIMEKSI SÖIN RUOKAA NAUTINTO MIELESSÄ.. Kolmas juttu..Geoguesseria ku pelaa... Ulkosalla mainokset ja advertit paperia heh köyhiä kavereite ei näyttöjä heh.. ja NÄISSÄ MAINOKSISSA MAAN LIPUN VÄRIT.. kuluttajat kyseisissä maissa.. buy buy heti kun keltainen sininen punainen... meikä poika ostaa kun yritys velkaongelmissa ja vuosittain 3 milliard dollar loss.. buy the dip.. Noh vika kappale lähtee soimaan ja laatuahan se on kuitenkin ollut koko albumi..

Great but not the vibe yesterday

As much as I love the Spanish language, I really don't listen to much salsa music. That being said, I have respect for Rubén Blades because how much I love his home country of Panamá. Additionally I didn't realize Willie Colón is a trombonist. Which is an instrument that I've enjoyed a lot recently. Especially after discovering the music of Rita Payés. This is a super pleasant listen and although I'm vaguely familiar with Blades and Colón's music... I feel that I should explore it a bit more.

It's great for what it is. Salsa with a hint of funk. I don't think I'd ever listen to it again, but I can't score it low because I dug it the entire time it was running.

The height of salsa that blends the perfect groove for the knowledgeable and rookie listener.

Very refreshing. I don't speak Spanish so the lyrics were a little lost on me, but I think I got the intended experience.

Immediately fooled from the first few seconds thinking this would be disco. This is salsa: one of the most famous and acclaimed salsa records. It's chill, groovy, and just a fun time. The singers are clear and forward, almost punk-like, but probably more like the funk craziness of James Brown. The jazz touches are poppy and accessible, reminds me of Chicago. I don't think the last 3 tracks lived up to the first 4. "Ojos" had nothing of value to add. "Dime" was boring and dragged on, but I liked the ending. "Siembra" sounded like a 70s cop show with the overproduced strings, but it sounded cool.

Ik had nog nooit van Willie Dikke Dárm en Rubén Mesjes gehoord. Het album begint met pak 'm beet dertig seconden disco en sluit daardoor mooi aan bij de Sledezusjes waar ik net vanaf kom. Na die ongeveer dertig seconden volgt de switch naar salsa, een genre waar ik vrijwel niks mee heb. Dit is van die muziek waar horkerige, saaie Nederlandse wijven met zo'n platte mannenkont in hun C&A jurkje er zelf van vinden dat ze er heel goed op kunnen dansen omdat ze ooit 3 halve lessen hebben gevolgd bij señor Willem, die getrouwd is met de voor 1/16e deel Braziliaanse Manita. Van die wijven met kleurrijke, spuuglelijke bungelende oorbellen en niet-matchende maar wel even felle lippenstift op hun lippen, maar ook een beetje op hun lange voortanden, die dan op het typische feestje-in-een-zaal waar je bent opeens heel enthousiast worden omdat ze een conga horen die ze herinnert aan hun huwelijksreis op Cuba, waar de Bacardi echt veel beter smaakt dan hier in Nederland. Van die wijven die dan één wijntje drinken voor de gezelligheid, maar echt niet hoeven te zuipen om leuk mee te doen hoor. Die vervolgens wel naar je kijken alsof je een met parasieten bedekte straathond bent omdat jij nadat je een biertje hebt staan atten, in gezelschap een klein boertje laat. Het hoogtepunt is voor mij de Typhoon - Bumayé sample in het wild bij 'María Lionza', die internationaal dan weer bekend is van de Major Lazer versie. Eventjes word ik zo'n horkerige Nederlandse vrouw met platte mannenkont die wil laten merken dat ze dit kent van de huwelijksreis op Cuba. Leuk, leuk. Het is een prima album. Bijzonder goede productie, best aardige muziek, niet te lang gelukkig, de zanger niet té irritant (al snap ik nog steeds niet waarom die gasten altijd met een dichtgeknepen neus moeten zingen). Het is gewoon niet helemaal mijn genre, maar ik wil hier best eenmalig een 4 voor uitdelen. Zeker als we ook meteen afspreken dat dit het laatste salsa album is dat ik dit jaar hoef te luisteren.

First time I’d ever listened to salsa. Fun sounds, unlike anything I’ve heard in the English language. Really enjoyed it.

Willie Colón is the best of the best. Fun to have Rubén Blades with him on this.

Funky stuff

Latin funk. Loved it

Àlbum de salsa contando historias de la vida, y haciendo reflexiones de la sociedad. Bailable y agradable de escuchar. Uno de los mejores discos que he escuchado de salsa.

this album made me wish I was latino and also not depressed

The first track is really fun! Easy listening, but not knowing the language I didn't really connect with the rest of it.

A real mood lifter. Loved this.

If this were my airport, there would be more of this kind of thing. 4.5 🌟

Without knowing the finer points of salsa music, I can only say so much. Having an appreciation for big band music from having played in a jazz band, I can say that this is a very tight band. There is technical skill, but also a passion for the music that comes through even 45+ years after its recording. I really enjoyed this album and would listen to more. Standout tracks: Plastico, Buscando Guayaba, Pedro Navaja, Ojos

I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally listened to Salsa before, but I think I should do it more often. This album was such a vibe.

Song: Pedro Navaja The generator has been on a roll these past few days with giving me some really interesting, international songs. Yesterday it was Fela Kuti & Afrobeats, today salsa. I thoroughly enjoyed this despite barely understanding a word. It made me want to dance, had a great rhythm and great flow. I don't think I've ever listened to a salsa song, but this was great.

Vraiment plus apprécié cet album que j'anticipais. Même si c'est un style que je n'écoute pas du tout, c'était très entrainant et très accrocheur sans devenir énervant ou redondant. Définitivement un album qui mérite d'être ici et certainement à revisiter. 8/10

A fun album that you can't help but tap your feet to. A true classic.

Stunning gorgeous what a way to start 2024

Solid album. I don’t have a ton to compare it to within its own genre but I know I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Loved it

I am definitely not much for salsa music... ...but I like this. So maybe I just don't even know myself. Good album for good vibes - like how can I be in a bad mood listening to this...great musicianship and sounds more modern than 1978 - and also is working as excellent study/work music. ...and if I keep giving 3s for albums that aren't necessarily up my alley am I really being honest with myself? Just because most days I'm not likely to put this on ahead of the genres i like better doesn't diminish the fact that this is catchy as hell. 7/10 4 stars

I haven’t listen to a lot of salsa/latin jazz, but I loved this record. Couldn’t help but dance to it

Fantastic rhythms full of flavour, great storytelling too. Great album

Fun ngl

I wasn't terribly excited to see that I got a salsa album today, but this shit is dope. Just solid grooves running throughout, with great production that makes it sound much more modern than I would have expected for 1978. There's greatly clarity for all of the minor percussion instruments that help establish the beat. The singing is great, though I have no early idea what they are saying 4/5

i know nothing about salsa but i quite enjoyed this! very pleasant. and i recognized that one song from oliver & company right away 😎

this was a cool album and i really enjoyed it. i like salsa as a genre well enough but i couldn't tell you a single song or artist name. it was cool to hear a lot of it all in one place and try to figure out the lyrics. cool west side story reference as well. the instrumentation and musicianship are just off the charts here. favorites: plastico, buscando guayaba, pedro navaja

What a warm, fun, delicious record. I haven't listened to really any salsa music, but this was lovely. The production sounds great (some amazing bass performances!), the vocals grab my attention even when I don't speak the language, and the album is cohesive without feeling repetitive. There are so many moments and flourishes throughout that would reward repeat listening. I particularly enjoyed the "America" (West Side Story) interpolation in "Pedro Navaja" and the backing vocals on "Ojos". And, as mentioned, the amazing bass work across this album.

Great album. I love Latin music and this is really enjoyable and extremely well executed example. Interesting variety of moods. Too bad I don’t speak Spanish 🇲🇽😌

Great instrumentation and album did not feel repetitive despite strong cohesion between all tracks

Never listened to this before. . . Oh hell yes. Groovy, funk-infused latin beats from Blades. The best selling Salsa record of all time. I dig it. . . Not gonna make the regular playlist, but it is great music!

Vibed with this alot, put me in a cracking mood and couldn't help but dance a little through the streets. Strong 3.5/5

Fun, upbeat music! Great for reading and doing chores to.

Fun album! Really jazzy and funky, made for good background music today.

B+ Plástico 4 Buscando Guayaba 4 Pedro Navaja 4 María Lionza 4 Ojos 3 Dime 3 Siembra 4 If you've never eaten at Casa Corona in Swampscott, MA, it's pretty much just like this.

Interesting! Made me think about a hot summer night in a city. I had NO idea what they were saying but I really liked it

Great sound, all songs fed well and great variety of instruments in each song. Dancy dance for sure

Very fun listen, I almost always love these albums! Just makes me which I could properly dance to it lol. I also had at least on Dicaprio moment of a passage I heard that's been sampled a ton. And the album sounds just like a solid unit, they're having a blast, enjoying the vibes, noit outplaying each other. More of this please! 8 out of 10

I enjoyed everything I heard. It was really smooth and funky - probably the best I've heard of this type of music, but I wouldn't want to hear it all the time. Salsa is something I have to be in the mood for, I think.

Nice one. Been aware of Ruben Blades but never dove into his music. They say in NYC in the 70s there were three separate musical explosions... hip hop, punk, and salsa. I've never had an opportunity to check out the salsa movement nor did I know where to start. I can understand why Ruben is such an icon in the Latino community.

I loved this album a lot. Fun to listen and move around to. Very cool

This is why i'm doing this. Would i ever have listened to this otherwise? no. Am i glad i did? yes something about salsa piano gives me the heebie jeebies, but, the brass section and vocals on this are a delight.

Primo cooking tunes

I wish I was smart enough as one of the other reviewers to come up with a tortilla chip joke.

Salsa! Good salsa. Why does the cover make it look like one of those Salsa for Babies CDs? Radiohead for Babies etc. Best tracks: Buscando Guayaba, Ojos.

Qué sorpresa encontrar este disco aquí. Además, es bien político y eso me gustó.

Now this is more my speed! Great little salsa record we've got here! A great introduction to salsa music, I really enjoy this from start to finish

Conozco a los autores pero nunca los tomé en serio. Mis disculpas. Empieza con tres cañonazos y luego se aplaca pero es un disco completamente imprescindible.

Nice catchy music, unfortunately makes you feel like you're in a theme restaurant.

This album deserves all the love for not being Scum by Napalm Death as well as having such a fire trombone section HL: title track, "Buscando Guayaba", "Pedro Navaja" June 30, 2023 (later)

Something about Latin music that just makes you want to move! Enjoyable under certain environments

I used to listen to a lot more Spanish-lanaguage music (back when I was learning the language in middle + high school and early university) so this felt kind of comforting.

Plastico came right out and slapped the coffee out of my hand with that opening bass line. Song abruptly drops all the funk in favor of a straightforward salsa jam. I'm not mad... I'm just disappointed. Like I still think this is fantastically enjoyable, but I love me some funky bass. Pedro Navaja pulls that funky bass back into the mainstream and I truly appreciate it. Song is a jam that interpolates some West Side Story along the way. Maria Lionza has a chant feature in it (at the end 5:05) that reminds me of a Kendrick Lamar song off of Section 80 (Poe Mans Dreams around 2:22). Unsure if it is actually what was sampled there, but it fits too perfectly. Someone please check this out and tell me if I'm crazy. Well this was an interesting one. I'm not one for salsa per se, but I also don't mind it in general. The funky bass elements definitely were a nice addition that made their presence known in a number of songs. I'd say for what it is, it was better than expected. So between a high 3 and low 4. Nudging because even without favorable biases I found this more engaging than not.

Loved it!

Started a little disco-y, but settled down into some excellent Latin music

Pretty good album.

Nice Latin grooves. Extremely listenable!

day 2 and we get salsa. so far 2/2 in genres I never listen to! this is a vibe though, listened to this while in traffic and felt totally at ease. I know it’s meant to be danced to, but I just want to chill on a beach with a margarita and listen to this. musically, lyrics are pretty big for me so it’s hard for me to connect with a song when I can’t understand it (I don’t speak Spanish). But there are a lot of elements of this I love. Cool instrumentation, unexpected elements, some funky/disco vibes at times that I enjoy. It feels really refreshing listening to it, has an impromptu feel like the band is just jamming. Compared to a lot of over produced stuff today it just felt nice. I do think it started to lose steam a little bit toward the end though Faves - Pedro Navaja, Plástico 3.5/5 rounded up to 4

Nice music. Force you shaking body.

Muy caliente

I find myself returning to this record multiple times over - it’s a very good one.

"Plástico" que buena critica y sátira a la gente clasista, lastima que haya sido compuesta desde 1978, y aún se siente tan moderna. "Buscando Guayaba" De los más disfrutables, ya que me dieron ganas de bailar, el ritmo es genial, y divertido, me gustó mucho. "Pedro Navaja" Un clásico eterno, y de mis favoritas de salsa, no tengo mucho que decir de está. La vida te da sorpresas, sorpresas te da la vida. "María Lionza" Gran tema, habla sobre una diosa o algo así, igual es disfrutable de escuchar. "Ojos" un enorme poema que admira notablemente los ojos de una determinada persona, tiene un ritmo bien sabroso, me encanta. "Dime" Probablemente la balada del disco, ya que es mucho más suave y el piano más melódico. Y la letra es bastante triste a pesar de contar con un ritmo bailable típico de la salsa, "Dime como me arranco del alma esta pena de amor". "Siembra" Una gran metáfora de la vida, y creo que le da el sentido al disco, de lejos la mejor letra del disco. El ritmo de la voz es lento, pero la música es considerablemente rápida.

Love the vibe

For the first few seconds I thought this was going to be shitty, latin disco. But turned out to be a really great album.

Cool beats, fantastic rhythms. Great music to dive into or just have on while you clean the house.

I really enjoyed this album. I enjoy salsa as a whole, but don't listen to it often. This album is very easy going and flows incredibly well. Pedro Navaja was probably my favorite song. This album definitely makes me want to listen to some more salsa.

Good Latin music

4 stars. I love salsa apparently

Beautiful horn line, honestly not knowledgeable enough about the genre to say much more but I found this album delightful and it has made me want to find more salsa music to listen to.

I have definitely heard many of these songs before without even realizing it. I guess it's the "standard" for which salsa music is held to. I liked it!

Salsa is not my jam, but I can understand why this album is the best selling record in the history of salsa and latino music. The opening song, "Plastico" sets up the mood, puts the pedal to the metal and keeps it there for 40 minutes. It's very unlikely that I will listen to this album again anytime soon just for pleasure, but whenever I will end up on a salsa course, or on a party with latino themes, then this will be the first record to put on. It's a very fun album, and a very positive surprise!

Salsa. Pedro Navaja. Un 4.

This made me want to stand up from my desk and start doing the salsa. What a fun album!

I’m not great lover of Latin music, but I really enjoyed this, and inexplicably I recognised a couple of the tracks.

Awesome Samba! Great stuff, makes me want to dance. Very groovy!

This was unexpectedly awesome, never judge an album by its cover.

A lot of fun! Beach vibes!

Tasty

Colon & Blades sounds like the name of a terrible gastrointestinal surgeon clinic in English, but in Spanish, it's the recipe for some amazing music. I award this album 4 dancing babies.

Classic.i like it

Está bueno osi

Great album

I haven’t listened to a lot of salsa. This was funkier and more lavish than I expected. I thought maybe it’d sound more rootsy. Enjoyable throughout

I guess the best-selling salsa album of all time should find its place in such a list, although I admit I know absolutely nothing about this genre. That said, I can still say two things about *Siembra*: first, you don't need to know the history of Salsa very well to appreciate its lush arrangements and instrumentation ; and then, there are many moments in this record where Blades and Colón aptly use other influences, if only for a few seconds ("Plastico"'s disco intro, the nod to *West Side Story* in "Pedro Navaja", that insane Ennio Morricone-like drop in "María Lionza", or the music-hall strings in the title track). All in all, it was a quite leasant first listen. Plus, even though I'm not fluent in Spanish, I feel like the songs are also telling interesting stories. So I hope I have time to revisit this record later on to delve deeper on that other subject and learn what those storie are all about... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

This was very enjoyable, great background music, very atmospheric. Maybe I should not be surprised I recognized one Major Lazer sample from Maria Lionza.

It is physically imposable to be upset while listening to Samba, your body will not allow such a thing and move to the music anyway. A great album filled with beautiful drums and horns and a sexy latin style, not that I know what they are saying but who cares it's the whole vibe that makes it transcend langauage. Favourite track Plástico

Dope !!

Ah, finally some music you can dance to. Include more salsa next time, gringo

B4ng4

3.5 pretty good. Better than a lot of the others!

Vibes

Solid album. Willie and Ruben will go places. 4/5

Brings me back to an evening on Curaçao at the beach with a beer. Good memories.

I don’t know a lot about salsa music but this makes me want to explore more of it.

Pretty nice album of music I don't normally listen to, also pretty cool to hear something familiar from being sampled in different songs

This makes me feel nostalgic to a place I've never been.

Makes me wanna get up and dance. Perfect album for the summertime.

LOVE!

Pretty nice

Прослушано! Отличный альбом, заводной латино, в моём вкусе.

I assume this sounds so classic because it is the standard. Very enjoyable and a nice change of pace from so much brit-pop.

this thing bops. music I normally wouldn't listen to (and still probably won't) but a fun dive.

Saucy, salsa, envigorating music.

I'm a fan of Buena Vista and some latino music but i've never heard that album before...it will become one of my classics Thanks!!!

Refreshing, enjoyed the beats and grooves, this is the sort of new stuff I signed up for.

I have never listened to a salsa album before, but this was really great. Shameful that a Texan hadn't listened to a salsa album before.

Salsa music! Pretty good

Sehr neu für mich, gefällt mir 3 oder 4 Sterne, muss nochmal hören schwierig. 4, weil niedriger standard?

La vie est une fête et je suis la piñata

This makes me think of Three's Company for some reason. I was super excited about watching Chrissy, Janet and Jack trade sexual innuendos in front of Stanley. Similar to this album, I didn't understand really what was going on, what was transpiring, but it seemed fun and sexy and made me happy nonetheless. This too, puts a smile on my face and would happily listen to this again.

I like but I didn’t listen that closely

I was hoping for Latin music and the bass line opening the album lead me astray for a few seconds, but then bam - 43 minutes of diverse salsa music. I’m not always in the mood for Latin Dance but this is an album that will definitely hit the spot.

We take for granted the lovely global rhythms available to us at the click of a mouse. In 1978, were there hipsters with no roots in South America who listened to this? I like to imagine there were but I doubt there were many.

Although I own a few Salsa LPs from back in the day, I abandoned the genre after one too many aborted salsa lessons. I'll give this high marks because 1) I like call-and-response vocals and they have it in every song 2) the late 70s production doesn't have the shrill trumpets of early salsa predecessors from the 50s and 60s 3) there's a fair bit of variety among the songs 4) When Spotify provided me with other salsa artists after it finished this, I preferred Willie and Ruben 5) it was the greatest selling salsa LP of all time.

Salsa, ruhig und lebhaft

Salsa music is fun and something I do not really listen to.

no tää tosiaan on hyvää salsaa! salsa on usein aika tyhjänpäiväistä saman toistoa, tässä tykkäsin joka biisistä. perjantaimeno! (María Lionza -biisin loistavaa introa on Major lazer sämplännyt, kiva huomata)

Such a cool record with so many cool instrumental parts. A great listen.

Nice! Some great samba

Quite enjoyable.

Horns and percussion carry this album. As someone else noted, it sounds like a generic salsa album, but when you learn it's actually the best-selling salsa album of all time, you understand that it's influential rather than derivative. I like it well enough, but I don't know enough about salsa to explain if this good compared to other salsa albums or how exactly it is influential. An enjoyable listen though, and ticks some of the same boxes as Getz/Gilberto's bossa nova album that I also really like.

Finally a Spanish album. I remember my mom telling me about Ruben Blades when I was a kid. This guy is incredibly talented & has a bona-fide music career. I enjoyed this album so much, I listened to three more. I'm certain Blades influenced many modern artists including Ricky Martin. I'm glad this was part of the challenge. Love me some salsa.

this was pretty awesome.

Pretty easy to see why this is one of the most popular Salsa albums of all time. It's easily the best one I've ever heard (out of the 3-5 I've heard). Even without knowing much about the genre, I can tell that this is "good" - there's something about it, from start to finish, that sets it apart.

Liked it

Really fun Latin album, would liven up any party

This is one of those albums that I don’t know how to rate objectively. On the one hand everything all sort of sounds the same but on the other hand I really did enjoy it.

Crisp, lively, 70's Havana vibe. Couldn't understand a word but enjoyed the rhythm and energy nonetheless.

Really enjoyed it, would definitely listen again

Fun, perfect salsa album. Makes you wanna get up and dance

Really lovely album. Loses 1 star due to the fact they have a traffic siren on one song, which limits when I would want to put this on (it freaks me out during car listens, and is annoying at home). But overall some absolutely charming tunes.

I know nothing about salsa but I guess I quite like salsa. This is obviously a good example of salsa, so it’s nice to have a goto salsa album if I’m ever in the mood for salsa. 💃 salsa 💃

Very good! Muy bueno

Yup, it's really good salsa. It made me feel like I, with my lead feet, could dance. I can't pretend I know what the lyrics mean, but this album was meant to be kind of revolutionary? All I know is my summer barbecue playlist has some new songs!

Really fun salsa, surprising amount of variation across tracks. Hard to not want to dance when listening.

This album was fun, I enjoyed it, although I don't speak Spanish so I missed out on some of the topical qualities that made this album so popular. It has a lot of range and is always entertaining. Also I learned that Ruben Blades is the same one who I remember from TV and movies over the years, pretty impressive. Learning about "Pedro Navaja"'s relationship to threepenny opera was instructive, it's a very good homage!

J’adore le cubain, mais je ne connais pas l’histoire du style ni comment cet album s’inscrit dans celle-ci. Ça sonne très authentique, mais pas nécessairement innovateur ou nouveau ou charnière. C’est par contre vraiment excellent. Le son est vraiment bon aussi.

Pretty excellent.

Enjoyable listen

This puts me in a happy place: A Mexican food restaurant eating tacos! Uno mas margarita, por favor.

Nice to hear some salsa to break it up from time to time. Irresistible.

Not familiar with this album and didn't really know what to expect. Lots of surprises throughout: the strong disco feel of the first track, the atmospheric police sirens and brief quoting of West Side Story on "Pedro Navaja," the chanting during "Maria Lionza"... It's hard to resist these rhythms.

Salsa now y’all

The picture of colon that Spotify uses when I stream this album on my tv is just nearly as cool as the album itself. I listen to a lot of salsa and it all sounds exactly the same, but that’s what I like a about it.

It was a lovely album for a Monday morning. Nothing exceptional, but listening to some salsa here is very warming. Four stars

Great sounds, good Latin vibes. Got a bit annoying and repetitive at parts. All in all a good album. Loved the bass.

Some really great samba sounds here / - drawing inspiration from Disco, Swing and Kurt Weill keeps it interesting and creative.

Babies? En español ? Alrighty. The cover is very 70's. Diving in there is an immediate energy and urgency to the music. I tell you what, these guys can play! Unlike the last album I listened to, which was pointlessly complicated, these songs are layered in the best way, with all the different rhythmic and musical and lyrical elements building into a brilliant unified whole. Sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, but always in motion. I want to put on something sexy and dance the night away.

That was a nice salsa album that I want to check out again. The album cover is good a note giving a hint as to what is about to come & it felt ominous in the first notes this was going to be a heavy disco album…thankfully (for me at least) it wasn’t!

On this rainy, cold gloomy day, this a much needed ray of sunshine and warmth! Now, I gotta get up and dance, well maybe. Enjoyable!

very enjoyable, nice latino rhythms,

Excellent, not heard of the artists before but it's a beautiful and enjoyable listen.

Very latin, wanted to go swinging

Buen ritmo. Buenas voces. Muy melódico y caribeño.

This is one of the best Salsa albums I've ever heard. Now I don't know much about it, but the complexity and musicality are on par with the best I've heard. Great album!

Really enjoyable Latin salsa. Usually I find this style of music gets pretty same but there was some really nice variations going on. Something to play again when the weather gets hot and it is time to party on the sand

Excellent!

Superb. Continuingly interesting and a joy to listen to.

This was dope.

Very fun album

Very cool salsa, def gonna read up on the history of this record. lotsa bops

Ne znam zasto toliko volim tu slasu al ju jednostavno jako volim.

Legoh na kauč i uistinu uživah u albumu, malo koji nepoznati do sad je to uspio.

Rubén Blades? The actor? What a fun ride, I don't speak Spanish, so I can't comment on the social commentary aspect of this collaboration. But I do dig salsa music and this spans a range. This Afro-cuban-disco-jazz centric album is a fun listen and I'll definitely revisit. 4/5.

Banger salsa album

💃🏼🕺🏾

Didn't listen to all of it but it was very nice.

Perhaps the most danceable album I've come across on this list. Forget language barriers, this transcends all. If this won't get you moving, what will? Favorites: Plástico, Buscando Guayaba, Dime, Siembra.

Klasse salsa, rytmisk, opmuntrende, catchy, stemningsfyldt

Funky!

Super album, blijft goed die latin muziek

This is what this list is for. I'd never heard of this before and I'd probably have never listened to it otherwise. This is great. I've done only a minimal amount of salsa dancing in my life, but this music makes me want to get up and dance. This is great stuff.

Não conhecia nenhum dos artistas deste álbum; ótima introdução! Ao ouvir, me deu vontade de tomar um mojito na praia, com os pés enterrados na areia.

2/11/2022 Today's Album: "Siembra" by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades - This is a fantastic Latin album that covers an incredible amount of traditional Latin melodies with great production and excellent performances. Many moments on this record sound so fun, energetic, or eargasmic that it makes me wish I knew how to speak Spanish. The vocals are incredible, many basslines are groovy and danceable, and the chorus melodies are catchy and pleasant to listen to. Lots of exotic percussion and bright trumpets join the rest of the elements to create a really warm and welcoming soundscape. There isn't much else for me to cover as I don't speak Spanish, but suffice it to say this album is a great listen and I enjoyed it from top to bottom. Score: 8 Groovy Highlights: Plastico, Pedro Navaja

Prefs: Pedro Navaja, Maria Lionza, Ojos, Dime Moins pref: Siembra

Nú er ég enginn salsa maður, og eiginlega alls enginn, en þessi discósalsa rennur mjög ljúflega í mig. Gæti alveg haft þetta í bakgrunni á góðum stundum og jafnvel til að dansa við. Mikið vildi ég samt að fyrsta lagið hefði haldið áfram með byrjunagrúvið í stað þess að fara í sölsuna.

I really enjoyed this. I know nothing about Salsa. I'll have to learn more. Interesting reading about Mack The Knife in various translations too.

Mieltä kohentavia rytmejä ja teki mieli tanssia. Mitään hajua mistä lauloivat, mut nautin kovasti

This album is a mix of salsa percussion and piano at its finest. The songs build up beautifully and "Pedro Navaja" is a masterpiece.

but was actually really funky, I really enjoyed that 8/10

It was about time we had some salsa

Great album. Enjoyed this one

Yea! Wish I had someone to dance with do this album.

So fun! Very fresh sound. Interesting chord progressions and rhythm. Great intro into salsa music.

Me llamo Siembra, esta fuego

Very cool! I enjoyed it a lot. A hidden gem.

Great Salsa music that makes you want to dance.

Nice

really fun latin music 4.5

This was super fun! Love salsa music and this didn't disappoint! Great music for working to as it didn't distract me and helped me to be productive and focus. It put me in a great mood and some of the sounds are really cool/unusual.

Can't say no to this!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Maria Lionza

Ces personnes parlent un espagnol absolument impeccable. Je pense qu'on peut le dire à ce stade, c'est du très très grand Baltard récompensé par un bleu de ma part.

salsa

sassy fun latino.

Loved it.

Un dels grans discos històrics del que a nivell global podríem anomenar world music. No només és el lloc on trobar la peça original de 'Pedro Navaja'; altres temes com 'Plástico' o 'Maria Lionza' no difereixen gaire en el seu aroma a clàssics instantanis. De fet, cada un dels set temes és una història en si mateixa, cap d'elles sobra en el disc, que parteix de la salsa per donar-li un contingut més evolucionat del génere, apte per tots els melòmans. Molt a prop de les 5*

Probably the first salsa album Iv fully listened too, really enjoyed it, an album I’ll come back to again and again I think. Random comment but the babies on the album cover reminds me of ready to die by Biggie Smalls.

Siembra by Rubén Blades and Willie Colón (1978) Este es un álbum verdaderamente fascinante. Uno normalmente no asocia la música salsa con profundas advertencias filosóficas contra la pobreza del materialismo, pero observe esto (“Plastico”): Que fallo Era una ciudad de plástico de esas que no quiero ver De edificios cancerosos y un corazón de oropel Donde en vez de un sol amanece un dólar Donde nadie ríe, donde nadie llora Con gente de rostros de poliéster Que escuchan sin oír y miran sin ver Gente que vendió por comodidad Su razón de ser y su libertad Así que si valoras tu libertad y tu « raison d’être », deja de perseguir cosas elegantes. Y este tema se hace eco en la última canción del álbum, "Siembra". Es una maravillosa homilía sobre la virtud de sembrar, plantar y la plenitud de la vida. Acompañado por el simbolismo en la portada del álbum, solo un imbécil perdería el punto. Dios es pro-vida. Así es como nos creó. "Pedro Navaja" es un latín "Mack the Knife", sin los matices socialistas de Berthold Brecht. Es una adaptación muy exitosa de una canción de la "Beggar’s Opera" original de John Gay del siglo XVIII al alemán de la era de Weimar "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" al español. Qué bien. Agregaré esto a mi colección "Mack the Knife". ¡El antihéroe vive! Y además de letras fascinantes, escuchamos música espléndida. El álbum comienza con un estilo disco deliberadamente irritante, luego se instala rápidamente en salsa de calidad. Hay buenas actuaciones en cuernos, con trombones pesados en la mezcla. Y ritmos de percusión maravillosamente cómodos. No puedes escuchar esto mientras haces algo que requiere que te quedes quieto. 4/5

Good fun. A little disco in the mix too. Muy bueno!

Enjoyable throughout

i'm dancing over here

Was listening to this spicy Spanish music in the car with Alexa!

This was an unexpected joy. Plenty of variation across the piece. Rhythm for the dancing.

This was a nice groovy salsa album. I liked the disco vibes at the very beginning and was a little bit let down that it didn't continue through the rest of it. Still, a very solid album and one that I think I'm going to come back and listen to again.

Cool South American salsa vibess..

Great latin jazz tracks with a real drive to them.

Fun album! Not my go-to, but fun to listen to salsa every once and a while.

Boy was this a fun album to listen to! I love any Musica Tropical (according to apple music) that gets me on my feet to dance. Maria Lionza was particularly interesting to me because I swear I remember some cartoon movie where a character was listening or humming to some music saying "bing bing bing bing" (not crazy frog) that was very similar to them doing that in the song (This morning I thought more and I think its the chiwawa in Oliver and Company) . Not sure what those babies are doing on the cover and kind of surprised that none of them seem to be having a good time. Maybe they are seeds that were siembra'd in the field of flowers on the cover. Very strange but adds to the mystique of this album. This might be one of the best weeks of the year so far in terms of banger albums. FYI my Frank Sinatra yesterday was meant to be a 5.

Good for background music at a restaurant or something, but not something I'd ever go out of my way to listen to

Makes a white boy feel like he can salsa Saved: Plástico*, Pedro Navaja, Siembra

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Plástico, Buscando Guayaba Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Takes me back to the elite Mexican restaurant El Puerto in Charlottesville, or as we so affectionately called it, El Poopy's

Great salsa album

A really invigorating salsa album!! This is probably one of the best salsa albums I've heard in general, it's really great!

I don't speak any Spanish, so I can't comment on the lyrics, but the music is fun and full of energy. Had me moving in my work chair.

Mellow and happy.

bell'album di salsa

This was a perfectly pleasant listen. I'll freely admit I'm not at all knowledgable about salsa music, so this struck me as being kinda generic salsa, but after seeing on wikipedia that this is the best selling salsa record in history, I guess it's genre founding rather than generic! Fave track - "Pedro Navaja" - I like the slow build up and shout outs to other tunes!

Really funky and interesting, my main issue is that each song is really long and it’s a little samey. 8

Not as bad as I expected. Not something I'd listen to either.

Listenable album, I might even say somewhat enjoyable for a while. The songs all sounded the same to my barely cultured ears. Fine, but nothing I would ever put on again.

this is like that one video of lebron salsa dancing

Was fun but didn't listen to the whole thing

Finally getting around to listening to this and...it’s fine. I can’t understand a word of it of course and I think it would be much better live in a club, but it’s fine for what it is as a recording.

Incredibly likeable. Cool and vibey.

I always forget that Ruben was/is a musician. Anyway, this was cool

Eh didn’t really listen bc it’s not my fav genre, but really enjoyed Pedro navaja and enjoyed the beat. Did make me shake my hips a bit which is exactly what I wanted from it!

2.5. Enjoyable background music

Enjoyed this, made my Monday morning a bit brighter (3.5)

This was a bop, good music for cleaning the gaff to

A nice little bit of Latin music. Not really suited for non-spanish speakers or people listening to these albums while working, this is best enjoyed outside while dancing or something.

Not bad, not remarkable. They snuck in some slap bass and got funky for a minute.

Couldn’t possibly be in a worse mood to listen to this. I’m sure it’s probably good for what it is, but the Latin/samba beats and Spanish lyrics are not for me today. Can’t stop thinking about how it sounds like Ricky Martin’s voice. And what the heck with this album cover? DNF (3)

Nice, but not my kind of style for every day. I have a feeling hte lyrics could be interesting if ony my spanish was a little better.

First listen

6.5

This is objectively very good, it's just also very much not for me.

I’m sorry I didn’t have time upon this listening to read through the lyrics in English. Still I enjoyed the music.

Liker salsa bedre som tacosaus enn som musikksjanger.

come back and listen to this one

Fun, peppy, and a joy to listen to. Not a lot stuck in my brain (with the non-English lyrics). Despite that, I'd happily return to this in the future.

Love the music from the latino countries! Is such a happy melody with a lot of intruments combined and creates some awesome sounds!

First song (Plastico) starts out sounding like pretty good disco. Then transitions into salsa/son. Very nice! Subsequent is all high quality salsa/son. Reminded me of Los Van Van.

Pleasant and on the shorter end of an album

Some salsa every now and then is fine, but a whole album is too much. It does not help I don't have a clue what they are singing (about)

Not at all a style I would choose to listen to, but extremely listenable and enjoyable for me nonetheless

The start was promising: latindisco. After that it’s more like standard salsa music. Not bad, but nothing special either.

🙂

Forty minutes of samba was better than I was expecting, but some of it did feel a bit samey after a while.

Gonna throw this one into my “On Island Time” playlist and never look back, it’s good but you really need to be in the mood for this one.

groovy enough, not really anything that stuck with me but love the salsa vibe though

2.5 stars

The music was nice

That was fun, always up for some Latin rhythms.

I really liked the first song, which felt a bit jazzier / more disco-heavy than the rest, which I like but am just less familiar with these styles so would need more listens to open it up I'm sure. But it would be worth doing because I liked it.

Second time for this. It goes down better the second time. The thing is, I really wish it were the disco fusion it appears to be for about two minutes in the beginning. THAT album could have had so much more potential. The one that follows really is… competent, but totally uninspiring.

Nice easy listening

I didn’t mind this at all for an international record. Proper play time and actually somewhat familiar.

This goes hard. Not my typical style, but it was a very fun listen. It’s a pretty hard album to dislike. I just wish I knew enough Spanish to understand the lyrics! The songs do tend to run a bit long (the shortest track runs 4:50), but I didn’t find myself getting bored really. It’s too easy to listen to to get tired of any given song

Dancing music! Love the big band feel and the pace of this music. Outside of my usual genre but that's what's so great about this!

Again, one of those things I'm not really qualified to rate.

Fine. Samey but fine.

Spicy

As far as samba goes, it's good on a sunny day

Nice to have some variety. I enjoyed it

Fun!

Todo bien

Mis pantalones es un fuego. Quien es tu papa? Donde esta la biblioteca?

When an album isn't in English I always feel like I'm missing so much, and it makes me feel bad. This is still pretty enjoyable as background music, but without knowing Spanish, I just feel like I'm not getting the full experience.

That one was actually new to me. Certainly great musicians, but I can't judge why this album should be particularly outstanding.

Yeah was nice - enjoyed the sound as much as you can despite not understanding the lyrics. Not a top choice for me.

Painfully generic. At one point I’m pretty sure bro just starts listing South American countries

Nothing crazy

I want more albums like thisss

Didn't expect the disco to transition to salsa or to blend as well as it does, but I love this now.

Very upbeat & fun. The lyrics I translated were all straightforward & positive. Great horns

Time to go to Wanna Iguana!