Siembra

Fun! Salsa can sound pretty samey after awhile, but this stayed decently fresh. I’ll keep this in mind when my wife and I eventually make good on our plans to learn to dance, but until then, I don’t see myself putting this on just to listen to. 7/10 Quite Likeable

Lovely vibrant music - on the basis I’m not a dancer it makes pleasant background music

Not the kind of music I am used to listen to, but I gotta say some parts are fun and they get stuck in your head. I recognize the quality although it's not what I am looking for. 3,4/5.

Good numbers, new genre

Sounds great, but not a genre I’ve developed an appreciation for.

Modelo/Salsa/Beaches

This was surprisingly fun to listen to while mowing the lawn. 3.5

Not something I would have listened to otherwise, but I didn’t hate it.

Сальса, чорт забирай)))

Really enjoyed this and would absolutely listen to it again, but not seek it out. Listened to it on a train trip back from a long day of work and it hit the right spot. 3.5 stars

Not my normal listen, but it was fun

sympa, pas boring pr de la salsa pendant 42 minutes : 3.5+/5

First impressions. This is EXACTLY the music that plays in a spanish themed restaurant and I would not be able to distinguish what the difference to a generic spanish sounding music would be. I don't dislike it but I don't have enough knowledge of music of this type to be able to separate it from generic "spanish sounding music". I don't hate it though.

Pretty enjoyable! Great instrumentation and good vocals. Language barrier means I can't appreciate the lyrics but that's a limitation from my side :D Highlight was "Buscando Guayaba" for me. Going to go with a high 3 purely because I don't think I'll be seeking out listening to this album again.

I've never listened to salsa music before this and this was a damn good intro. The beats never got boring and the instrumentation in the background of each track was super varied. Enjoyable but I won't be coming back 3

I apologise for hating on salsa because this was pretty fun 🕺💃

一曲の合間が分からん アルバムでひとまとまりになっている

Suits a sunny summer day, fun

Similar to a number of albums, I enjoyed it but don't know enough about the genre to properly rate it

Ich wörd 3.5 gä wenni chönnt

Very iconic album in latin music. Most of the songs are hits that permeate through culture. This is the sort of album that I expected to watch in this list. 8/10 [KEEP]

Like this, but 2 hrs 33 min is a lot to ask. Sounds all the same.

En 1978, alors que le monde entier succombait aux fièvres du samedi soir et que le punk commençait déjà à se mordre la queue, Willie Colón et Rubén Blades sortaient Siembra. Siembra, c’est le disque qui a tout changé pour le label Fania. C’est l’album de salsa le plus vendu de l’histoire, rien que ça. Rubén Blades, le cerveau littéraire, et Willie Colón, le tromboniste prodige et producteur visionnaire, ont décidé d'injecter du cerveau dans les hanches. Ils ont transformé la musique de danse en une tribune sociale, politique et poétique. Sur le papier, c’est fascinant, c’est la « salsa consciente ». Mais dans mes enceintes, c’est une autre paire de manches. J'ai commencé l'écoute avec une réelle curiosité. On ne peut pas avoir travaillé en radio indépendante et dans un shop de disques pendant l'âge d'or des années 90 sans avoir une certaine ouverture d'esprit. Mais voilà, il y a une limite physiologique à mon endurance au trombone et aux percussions ensoleillées. Les trois premiers titres passent plutôt bien. On sent la maîtrise, le groove est impeccable, et la voix de Blades a cette élégance naturelle qui impose le respect. On est loin de la soupe commerciale ; il y a une vraie profondeur, une orchestration riche, presque cinématographique par moments. C'est l'album qui contient "Pedro Navaja", une épopée de sept minutes qui revisite l'histoire de "Mack the Knife" dans les rues de New York. C'est du grand art narratif. Mais arrivé au quatrième morceau, le syndrome de la saturation commence à pointer son nez. Trop de salsa tue la salsa. C’est une musique qui demande une énergie constante, une sorte d’euphorie rythmique qui finit par m’épuiser. L’album est brillant, techniquement irréprochable et historiquement capital. Colón et Blades ont réussi à faire de la salsa une musique de réflexion sans perdre le rythme. Mais pour mes oreilles de post-punk désabusé, c’est un marathon dans une fête foraine. C’est très bon, mais trois titres, c’est ma dose maximale. Au-delà, je cherche désespérément le bouton « stop » pour retourner à mes ambiances industrielles et à mes guitares saturées. Note : 3 sur 5. Un chef-d'œuvre du genre, sans aucun doute, mais un genre qui, à haute dose, finit par me donner des envies de silence monacal.

The lyrics were fun, but the style of music gets a bit too samey-samey after a bit for my taste.

I dig it! Not necessarily something I'd think to reach for, so I'm glad it was curated via this list. Good vibes, talented musicians.

"During its time, it was the best-selling salsa record in history (..) Siembra" remains one of the most original and influential works in that genre." - ayyy, jeg hyggede og dansede lidt

enjoyed more than expected

💃

Good but not my bag

Nice. I think I lined track 2 the most

3.5

I don't feel I know enough about samba to say anything meaningful here, but this was groovy + fun + i like it :)

Citou todo mundo menos o Brasil na primeira música 😭🤣 Pelo visto eles também não nos acham latinos…

A fine dollop of NY salsa that seems tuned into the disco scene of '78. Just a bit too repetitive for my tastes but an album I had never heard before and probably never would without this project. Worth a listen.

Pleasant

This was actually enjoyable. I don’t know if it’s a 4 star album for me but close.

Do you know why salsa is so popular? Because people like to say "salsa".

Don't know a lot about salsa but this was pretty fun

I liked it and get why it was on the list. Disco-y

it was fine, it went a little long

Pretty good! Fun

Too grey in Wales for salsa.

JAJAJAJAJJA esta enorme !

i misjudged it at first but it’s very danceable and the rhythm is nice !!

Lively, interesting. Made me smile. 3.5 on the 3 side

It was ok. Reminded me of eating at Chi-Chi’s in the early 90’s.

Interesting. Enjoyable. there's better latin music. 3 *

I went into this album totally blind with no context for what I was about to hear. Apparently it's the #1 salsa album ever and somehow I have never heard of it, which is why I'm doing this list in the first place. I find it really hard to rate albums from genres I'm totally unfamiliar with, and even harder to rate albums that aren't in English since I'm missing a huge part of the album's appeal, so take my rating with a grain of salt. I enjoyed listening to this album on a purely sonic level but feel like I'd enjoy it more if I was fluent in Spanish. That's my fault and not any fault of the album though.

Not for me but the music was good

Fav: plastico 3:5

Nice bit of Panamanian music

Reuben Blades? Ah good reeeeeeeeeeeal good.

Tror snøen smeltet litt fortere av dette. Sterk 3'er

Ikke ofte jeg hører på musikk fra Panama og Puerto Rico. Ikke ofte jeg hører på samba heller. Og det kommer ikke til å forandre seg.

Next.

Quite fun

this isn't where i parked my car, but good classic "salsa"

Thank god, finally a change of scene from all the annoying samey-sounding overrated as shit boring rock music on here. That "i like to live in America" caught me off guard XD. Song I liked: maria lionza

A funky little album here, packs a punch - enjoyed it

I mean...yeah. Fine.

Each track is a journey, with shifts in rhythm and melody. Super fun.

Love the vibe

Disco salsa! Solid listen, definitely enjoyed it.

Day 3 — Willie Colón & Rubén Blades — Siembra (1978) Listened: Feb 25, 2026 Genre: Salsa / Latin Soul Vibe: Fun, Latin dancing, energetic Highlights: • Plástico • Pedro Navaja • María Lionza Impression: I enjoyed it for not having listened to Salsa music much. Rating: 2.8/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably

First track was giving me Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime vibes

I know that I enjoyed listening to it and appreciated it - but it didn't stick with me after it was over. Will revisit and see if the feeling stays.

I liked it, but it won't make it into the rotation.

Willie Colón died today. I'm going to interpret this selection as a purposeful tribute, not a coincidence.

Not super familiar with the genre beyond it being a stable at a local kebab van (very culturally confusing place) but as an introduction this was nice. I like how the vocals swim over the instruments, which are very good too. The first track was too long for what it did in my opinion and I was worried the rest of the album would follow that structure but it didn’t.

Salsa music tends be a very full sounding musically with the horns, piano, various bongos, drums & bass. That bass on the opening on Plastico was awesome, also the bass on Maria Lionza. The music tends to blend together but that's OK. I still enjoyed the fun music even if I don't speak much Spanish. I caught certain words, here & there. Plastico is a pretty straightforward song even with the language barrier. I will probably never listen to this again but I'm still glad I was exposed to this. The album cover is weird to me. The babies are just weird. It also looks like it could've been made in any Era but the drawings around the babies look like its from the late 60s. It's an odd contrast to my brain. 3

Maybe it's just the day, but this album didn't connect for me. I didn't find that there was anything outstanding or new happening here.

Fine.

Some essential salsa. 3.5/5

Didn’t give it a great listen but what I heard was lovely

Not had bags of time to listen ti this but what an authentic latin record !!! Doesn’t get any better

Love some Latin music and this is a really great listen. One downside is I would say Spanish is much less sexy when you understand it...

A solid combination of music -- vocals, instruments and arrangement -- made this album an enjoyable listen even if not indispensable.

The music is fun. I can't comment on the lyrics. It sounds like it'd be great at a party.

A Cuban holiday soundtrack in mid February in the UK… why not. Not a bad album

I don’t know if my old review saved, but I was skeptical of this album at first. I had just finished watching a Fela Kuti live preformance, so my standards were pretty high for big band outfits and communal song writing. I started cooking Shakshuka for lunch and the later half of the album started growing on me, particularly track 5 or 6

This is really good stuff. Wouldn't listen to it all the time but certainly when the mood hits. I was a bit worried, the first 30 seconds, because I thought it was gonna be very disco heavy, but it isn't! Great sound. Salsa's not my every day jam but worth a listen for sure.

Good salsa--not usually my jam (or condiment) but this gave me some moves. Top tracks: "Plástico," "Ojos," "Buscando Guayaba"

--Plástico...cool, funky opener --Buscando Guayaba...straightforward salsa --Pedro Navaja...did I hear a West Side Story reference? --María Lionza...the middle section is especially good --Ojos...more fun but it's starting to meld together now --Dime...chunky salsa --Siembra...this one feels a little more epic. some nice orchestration here

Objectively good music but it's just not for me. The album cover is also tragic.

After a minute-long funky disco fakeout, this turns into a danceable jam of jazzy samba. As a big fan of interesting percussion, there's a lot to like here. Songs effortlessly move from one idea to the next, accented by big horns. While there are clear verses and choruses, there are also some jammy parts. As free as it sounds though, it never really lets loose into something truly amazing. And all of the songs are mostly the same tempo and energy level, which makes things blur together a bit by the end. Still, this is a ton of fun, even if it's not something I'll be dying to hear again soon.

I liked this album I listened to this while making carne asada for dinner (coincidentally). I like to think some of the spirit of this album transferred to the meal, because it was a pretty good batch. This is fun music, like for a big party. I checked out some of the translations for the lyrics, and it does have some heavier subject matter, but mostly songs about love and life. Just good music without many aspirations to be much more that than (which is so refreshing.) Jazzy, upbeat, and holds up to multiple playthroughs. 3.75/5

Not really one for me. I don't hate it, but nothing here really interests me. I guess I learnt I don't really like salsa music

Interesting listening to this post 2026 Super Bowl with Bas Bunny. Vibes are solid and fun, while not a huge fan usually and going off mostly vibes, this feels likes walking through ybor later at night and hearing the doors open from the various clubs.

Pretty solid. First track listing South American countries might have been inspiration for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl listing of Americas? Kinda fun for a listen.

A nice wee curveball for a Monday morning. Can’t say I’ve heard a lot of salsa music in my day but this was pleasant, well recorded and just the right duration. Excellent brass throughout, lovely arrangements. Can’t imagine I’ll listen to it again but it started my week with a bit of class.

387/1089 - This is definitely salsa music.

so nice, really like it

Not my type of music, but I thought it was good.

before: never heard this before, expecting Latin Disco, we'll see... after: ...as expected lol. pleasant and lively enough, although not something I'll be listening to again. if I spoke the language I'd probably like it even more

It was fun, but it’s hard to fully enjoy songs without understanding the words

Certainly is Samba

Enjoyable listen

Loved Siembra

Groovy! If i could speak spanish i’d probably adore this but the language barrier is a thing so i have to just rate it pretty good.

fun samba album

3 1/2 Stars: I didn't understand a lick of it, but it's a good time. Honestly, I was hoping for something a little louder, a little more vibrant, a little spicier. This is Salsa afterall. Still, I'm not mad finding my way to this.

TLDR: I appreciated this listen upon closer inspection. This was a quick and easy listen. If I had a single dancing bone in my body I may have appreciated it more, but alas I do not. I appreciated the West Side Story reference in Pedro Navaja and the little I was able to recognize from the Spanish lyrics. Took the time for a second listen and lyrics translation and got a lot more out of the album, most notably the lyrics of Plastico and Pedro Navaja. The style of Maria Lionza was also a standout for me.

Sons latinos, orchestre avec beaucoup de cuivre (trompettes, saxo). Willie colon a permis de rendre le trombone écouté par le public via ses musiques et ruben blades. Colon a été un artiste latino avec une réelle influence. Cet album est frais a écouter lorsque l’on invite a la maison, pas si redondant même pour un album latino. Album marquant pour la salsa (adopté par les étudiants pour les luttes de paix et les fiertés latines)

This is bordering on 4 stars, however I find that I just wasn't quite getting into the songs as much as I thought I would.

Don't know the difference between salsa and samba, but when I ever find myself in a situation in which I have to bring "the sauce" in a very Latin American sense, I will remember this album.

Probably a good album of this genre, I just don't care for this genre. 3 stars or C-.

Colorful Carnival dancing, I can’t tell it’s good or not

Salsa isn’t something really listen to, as I’m sure is the case for most here. From what I read, this is a peak of the genre. I enjoyed it, but it certainly didn’t light a fire to become the turning point in my salsa journey. I can say that the rhythms are infectious - the percussive polyrhythms, fluid but punchy bass, piano serving as a melodic and rhythmic supporting the back. The songs are well arranged, performed, and sung. Despite all that, only about half the songs really landed for me. This is one where understanding the lyrics might help my appreciation grow, as what I’ve seen seems interesting. Perhaps one to give a few more tries, as more familiarity with salsa may enhance my enjoyment (or not).

Best-selling salsa of all time, original and inventive All song hits

Didn't understand most of the words, but at least it had swing!

I appreciated something different and new to me, but it didn't really grab me.

Tror sgu det er på listen fordi det er det mest solgte salsa album nogensinde. Det var sjovt at høre det der major lazer havde sampled i sådan et album. Synes også disco delen i starten af albummet var grineren at have med, det tror jeg helt sikkert jeg vil bruge i et sæt. Tror det går godt til at mixe med noget andet. Tror jeg har en dårlig dag i dag, så føler det er mega uretfærdigt at rate noget. Jeg synes ikke det gjorde det store indtryk på mig, det er god salsa musik og sjovt at lytte til. Men jeg ved ikke om jeg har sat mig ind i teksterne nok eller historien omkring musikken. Det er NEw york salsa som er sådan lidt mere urbant og klubbet. Det er altså det som afspejler sig i lyden af swing og hornsektioner. Det er salsa dura som er mere råt og agressivt. Sangene handler om at leve i byen og miljøet som kan arbejde mod én. Salsa er sgu hyggeligt og sjovt at lytte til, men ved aldrig om det er en "niche" som jeg ender med at dykke ned i. Det håber jeg på en eller anden måde, for så betyder det virkelig jeg har bevæget mig i en anden retning.

This Album was a little disappointing, I’ve actually enjoyed what I’ve heard of other language music, but this was a let down. It is in AOTYs top 500 and the highest rated salsa album I believe but it’s just not my genre. Album Rating: 62/100

picks:plástico, pedro navaja

it's 3.5

Salsa.

good!! I dont think ive actually listened to salsa music on my own so I didnt fully know what to expect. every song in the album was different enough from each other to make the entire album enjoyable. made me want to dance and drink a cocktail. all this considered, there are other genres I prefer so I most likely wont listen to the entire album again 6/10

Not bad, but like very Spanish-style music.

This one was a test of my limited Spanish skills! Great Latin vibes. I felt a bit out of context listening to this in a drizzly UK suburb in January, but it was full of life and a fun listen. I find it interesting how relentlessly upbeat the music is, juxtaposing lines like "Dime cómo me arranco pa siempre el inmenso dolor" with wiggle and a smile. For some reason I always feel like samba works best as music to cook to... I might have fajitas tonight.

Some good jams here, but I have no business reviewing this album. I just have no context for this genre. I'll bet this would be tons of fun to hear in a smoky nightclub somewhere much further south of where I am right now.

Not bad at all, although I’m not sure it quite hit the mark as well as it could have.

Funky Jazz

this was very fun! I think that, as a white and uncultured boy, I cannot unlock the full potential of this album, but the instrumentals are so fun and the backing vocals are wonderful

Pretty cool, not as good as the Cuban album from a while back though. A bit too much of the same thing over and over

I enjoyed this quite a bit on my first listen and then slightly less on my second but it’s still very good and the occasional abrupt genre shifts were enough to keep me excited.

Im positive that I’ve flipped past this in the used bin at a record store before, and I should’ve given it a go — Latin jazz is great. Lots of life, love the Latin country roll call, fuck ICE.

This was a really good album. The Spanish wasn’t to bad to understand either and on relisten I could probably pick some words out get a gist of what’s going on. The one song I think was asking when a lady he liked was going to move on from her grief which is kinda wild.

Soothing and smooth.

Gute Sache kann man mal laufen lassen

Very fun!! enjoyed this listen

3.4 I appreciate a bit of samba, but never knowingly put it on. First two songs were really good, although after that I struggled to enjoy it as much. Always reminds me of cruising down the streets of Vice City as a 14yo with Espantoso playing.

Not my vibe but interesting AF, might one day listen to it again with translation

Was a fun listen, will I listen to more, or explore more, unclear

The first notes start and immediately I know I'll be in for a treat. Sadly later the songs became a bit less soul and more salsa, though still thoroughly enjoyable. Probably won't put it up again but a fun listen. 7/10

i feel bonita

Very fun. Definitely reminded me I need to learn more about Blades’ music career. I was dropping my daughter at school after winter break, so it was the perfect record to get her ready for Spanish class.

Good album to put on as your entrance music when you join a Zoom meeting

Very enjoyable Latin/samba music, could definitely see myself putting it on again. Going with three stars because there’s no standouts or individual songs I’d revisit by itself

Awesome background music, have listened a few times already but honestly no single track sticks in memory.

Coming out of the gate hot with that funky bassline....this is music that everyone can like. I was expecting a bit more genre shifting after that hot start, but it went to pretty straight salsa/Latin music. Very enjoyable and fits a very specific mood.

Completely new artist for me. Enjoyable if not memorable

When an artist's Spotify bio begins with a quote from the International Trombone Association you know you're in for something different--I don't typically listen to trombone-heavy music. And all I can say is, yes, it was something I wouldn't typically listen to and it was pleasantly fine.

This is a fun one, apparently one of the best selling samba records of all time. The music is great and the musicianship is top notch. That said, and I've said it before, I don't understand sitting around and listening to dance music. I suppose I could have gotten up and samba’ed. Anyway, it's very good but I’ll probably never listen again

This was great - super enjoyable. Really nice instrumentation on this album. A solid 3.5 for me.

Am I hearing this right? Something that's not in English? An album that's not American or British? Robert sweetie, are you fine? Were you having a fever? Was the day you added this the day you found out the world has more than two countries? You took a geography lesson by mistake? Even now, he doesn't pick something that does anything outstanding. This album is fine, but that's about it. I could name 10 Latin albums that should've been on this list but aren't. I'm not part of this culture at all, but this is the type of music that plays at weddings at the request of the drunk unmarried uncle in my country, so I doubt it's THAT exciting for Latinos either.

Funky and fun, it’s maybe a little bit cheesy in a way though? A bit soft jazzy at times, lil something from a restaurant in then 70s in America? It’s very easy listening though, you wouldn’t turn it off, and it gets you tapping your feet.

I respect the very talented musicianship and singing on display here, but the music doesn’t speak to me. I found too many small aspects that were featured in the songs to be distracting.

Salsa music is just so pleasant and I will probably never listen to any of it outside of being forced to

Enjoyed this, nice bass and instrumentation, nothing extremely special but a nice listen

Authentic salsa music had me moving round the office.

Generally don’t care about salsa but this one wasn’t too bad.

Not my thing genre-wise, but it was very joyful and fun. Love the reference to West Side Story's America in one of them too.

I was not previously familiar with the artist or the album. This is a disco-influenced salsa album. It is catchy and makes me want to dance. This is not music I would typically listen to but I enjoyed it for what it was. I could see listening to it again if I was in the mood.

Pretty good

A good album. Some of the songs blended together a bit, and it fell on it's face in the last moments, but not bad overall. 3/5

Album cover is a classic. Listened once and enjoyed. Feel like a good album to have in your back pocket for just the right dinner party. Could go down a storm in the right setting. But I've never hosted a dinner party.

High 3 first minute of first track takes us in an exciting disco samba direction. sadly moved to straight samba for the rest. nothing wrong with that but disco samba would of been fun

Don't even know how to rate this. From the little I understood, Willie and Rubén attempted to unite Latin America with salsa. Pretty fun tbh

Bait and switch with the disco bass at the beginning of this record is wacky. The rest is fun salsa from actor/musician/activist Rubén Blades and arranger/musician/band leader Willie Colón and their band. In case you didn't read the wiki article, this is the best-selling salsa record ever. I haven't ever deliberately listened to any other salsa records because I'm slightly allergic to congas and bongos, but this one is pretty OK. I would recommend this album if it was the only salsa record you hear before you die.

Really enjoyed this. Will revisit.

Ehhhhh. I want a margarita now but that might just be because it's mid December and I'm craving summer.

Well, I judged this album by its name and turns out I wasn't wrong. Salsa isn't really my jam unless the food type. But dude does have a great voice.

Fun

Makes you want to dance, as much Latin music does.

Vibes het album! Benieuwd of ik dit een heel album trek, doet me meteen een beetje denken aan de Buena Vista Social Club waar ik heel lekker op ga! Ho ho ho eens even, vind ik daar zowaar het originele sampletje van Bumaye?!?!? Ik dacht al die tijd dat de Typhoon versie de orginele was, maar blijkbaar zit er een nóg ouder sampletje achter. Besef me nu ook wel hoe dom het is om dat te denken, maar goed. Moet wel even benadrukken dat, hoewel ik het best wel lekkere muziek vind, het wel echt achtergrond muziek is. Als ik andere albums vaak standaard 13 in een dozijn rock heb genoemd dan noem ikdit toch wel een beetje 13 in een dozijn salsa. Is dat omdat dit dé standaard is voor salsa? Beetje zoals de Beatles dat voor rock zijn? Dat kan, daar weet ik dan weer niets vanaf. Wat ik wel weet? Dit is een zomers, vibey album. Ik denk dat als het lekkerder weer was geweest dat ik dit meer had kunnen waarderen dan nu helaas. Voor nu; prima album, niet heel bijzonder maar leuk dat er eens een genre in staat dat we nog niet echt gehad hebben. FAVO: Plástico, Pedro Navaja, Maria Lionza

får en att röra på höfterna och det känns som minimum, men också typ att det inte går att önska sig mer. det gör ett bra jobb med vad det försöker, men är inte speciellt ambitiöst.

¡Sixten! ¡Presente! Tänk att sitta i skymningen på en strandbar på Kuba och spela backgammon med nån kommunistgubbe samtidigt som detta spelas i bakgrunden. Dröm.

Brukar störa mig på latin men jag har haft jävligt roligt med den här jäveln.

Vissa stunder vill jag ge en tvåa och andra en fyra. Landar på en stark trea. Skulle behövt marinera mig en vecka i salsa för att kunna göra en bedömning.

Bra tryck i produktionen!

It’s canny. Sounds like one of the best of its style, but I’m no expert. And that’s part of the problem I think, kinda sounds like a lot of other things. But I like it.

I really like the first 5 minutes of salsa music and after that it starts to grind me down a bit, I think because if you're listening to salsa you're going to hear exactly the same tempo and beat until you stop. Right place right time I could enjoy this and I certainly wouldn't have heard it otherwise so glad it came up but I pretty much knew how it sound before listening. 2.5.

Great instrumental performances. Horns are killer but laid back at the same time. Good vibes but vocal lines weren’t really hitting for me.

Latin/salsa music - I really enjoyed this. My rusty Spanish helped me a bit to understand some lyrics, particularly in "Plastico". The whole album made me dance in my seat. Lots of fun beats!

A decent album. Very mellow and easy to listen to. It was a little repetitive. I'd be happy to listen to it again but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.

fun as hell - the clash album wasn't a 3, this one was. THREE point FIVE

Never really listened to salsa intently before. Pretty good.

My ear is not trained to distinguish the quality of this from any other salsa music I have heard. I like it, but I'm not gonna put it on unless I'm trying to set a very specific mood.

Turned this on, and started looking around for my sideburns and disco pants. But then someone started singing and I had the urge to light a cigarette and slam a Caipirinha. Several more songs followed and then it was done. Overall, this was a perfectly nice salsa album of the sort that I would happily listen to while having a drink at a bar with friends. I won't, however, be voluntarily searching it out to listen to again.

It’s fun and danceable, but it has a bossanova-adjacent boringness for me I can’t quite put my finger on. The whole time, I felt like I should be liking it more.

Fun joyful music.

it’s good dance music i think

Good music just not my cup of tea.

Listened in an early morning daze at 5am on the way to a bus that took me to East Rutherford for the fifth time to shoot a Jamie Foxx movie for Netflix.

Salsa feels like a pretty solid intersection of the Buena Vista Social Club record I reveiwed last week, and the classic Bossa Nova records that I'll sadly never get to review for this list. I don't speak enough spanish to understand what they're talking about, except the part of "Pedro Navaja" where he says "La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la I like to live in America". Overall, a fun record to fill the salsa sized hole in your collection.

Which came first: Salsa the dance? Or Salsa, the stuff you get with crispy tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant? What does it say about me culturally that I think of the latter when I hear this type of music? I mean, I immediately started getting hungry for fajitas and a frosty marg the very second the horns and bongos kicked in. I feel like pavlov's dog, but if dogs could feel existential shame.

i actually didn't mind this, smooth listening 3.5

3.6

Salsa! Nice

Very smooth samba jazz listening. If you enjoy world music or not this is a very cool album.

This was a new and easy listen for me. It flowed perfectly and kept my energy up and moving while i worked this morning. it made me wish I spoke more Spanish and danced better. i especially enjoyed the groovier moments and breakdown segments such as in Maria Lionza.

A fun if repetitive album. Full of bright sounds and great instrumentation.

6/10 Brightened up a wet commute in SW England. Repetitive, but cool

Good, but not my vibe. I can tell it has some great elements and wanted to get me to move and dance, but Salsa is not my type of music.

5/10

Like it 3/5

Alright, but not my style and mostly blended together

Pretty good

First moments on this start hella disco funky and it sounds great. It quickly changes to Salsa and stays on Salsa. I don't know what to do with Salsa music, but this isn't bad.

Very far from my musical taste, but listenabl, well written and performed. I think the album shows its age, it's quite laid back and old fashioned, also like for other listeners, everything kind of blends in for me, I think due to the vocals and instruments being pretty much the same throughout. I think it wouldn't do amazing if it was released today, and I definitely am not going to go back and relisten to this voluntarily, but definitely deserves a place on the list due to its historical context, importance and overall production.

2.75

moderately impressive for four babies.

Fun with something that stand out on the list! Enjoyed this, it has a nice atmosphere to it, and gets you in a good mood when listening to it - more than you can say about many of the albums on this list, sadly. I read that this was one of the best selling salsa albums of all time. Quite a feat. If I knew that before listening to this I would have expected a bit more somehow. Like many other genres like jazz, blues etc, and albums we've had on this list, I don't think I'm in a position to give this a fair review since I don't know what distinguishes this from a regular salsa album. Nevertheless, it was good, but not anything I will remember as "the best salsa in the world".

It's fine. I don't know.

I have no basis to judge this against.

(65/100)

Salsa !

It's fine, but having not grown up on this kind of music, it's very hard for me to tell one song from another, or from the Buena Vista Social Club album. My apologies.

I do love a non English language album. This is very good.

this album surprised me with its listenability...even though I didn't know what he was saying

Great, chill vibes from the instruments. Didn't look up the lyrics so they might say otherwise, but pretty relaxing. Liked the length and structuring of the songs, even the longer ones. 7/10

ja ganz nices salsa album aber gibt bessere. 3.5.

ay cabróóóóón

Прикольно, но специфично стильно.

3.3 I thought Willie Colon played for the J-E-T-S. Must be pretty talented

No idea what’s being said but I love the vibe 💃🏼

Never really listened to Salsa, but this was quite good. Not sure I'd necessarily come back for a second serving.

Musicianship is on point, the songs are long and fully formed but never feel like they’re lugging along, and it’s awesome lyrically considering the seemingly light and fun arrangements.

This was pretty fun, but I don’t think I’d listen to again

Makes you want to dance! Nice music but I don’t really know the genre so it all sounds the same to me. Would be great to see live.

It's fine, I guess. Wish I had a drink with little umbrella in it, maybe some guayaba. Or maybe I'd be in a crime movie from the 70s where I have a really big lapel. Decent variety here, but nothing for me to pick this out of a lineup of similar stuff because I don't know what I'm listening for. Cool that it had some samples, though!

This guy is Petey from Mo' Better Blues.

fun. would be amazing on trombone champ.

A nice listen. If I saw this in a record store, I would pick it up. I can see this being an album I come back to and grow to love. Just feels like home

Oddly enough, this sounded more recent than it was.

Fine enough, not for me

I'd put money on this being played at El Prado in Laleston. A real firehose of salsa with the occasional bit of disco bass.

Its decent. Salsa/spanish music that isn't my favorite but was an ok listen throughout. Would be fine to hear in a restaurant.

Overall pretty good listen but did not match my mood today, I'm pretty sure I've heard one of these songs before. Salsa isn't my fav genre but overall a solid 3 for me today.

43/1089 the start is so groovy i’m hooked already i don’t have many thoughts to add about this one. It was really nice and easy listening and the music all flowed very well. i’m not well-versed enough with salsa to comment properly on the techniques or pick out influential parts that said, it didn’t feel monotonous and i’m glad i heard it. It’s certainly very evocative of a specific time/space 3 stars or 56/100

It was quite pleasant to listen, tho a little bit too repetitive for me.

The first track is a bit of a false start as I am going wow! The disco/salsa album we have all been waiting for. This is not quite followed up in the rest of the album which is a very fine salsa album and has astonishing levels of musicianship wihtout being quite my thing. Still, 3 stars.

Fine? This wasn’t bad, and I get why the best selling salsa album should be on this list, but also this just washed over me. Fantastic background music, but to listen to with purpose, this fell flat.

Very solid album i never would have listened to without this challenge. Definitely not my "thing" but I appreciated the variety and the skill of the artists. I have definitely heard some of these songs before so the context was appreciated.

That's not my taste in music - But ok - lively music

Nice enough. Sounds a lot more modern than 1978

Really fun little jazz album in Spanish I believe 7/10

This is a good poster child for salsa music. Well produced, expertly performed. I don’t ever have a hankering to listen to this style in my day to day life, but it was enjoyable.

Music was good and enjoyable, but I always struggle with not being able to understand lyrics (completely my own issue)

I loved the first song but the album is just not my style of music but it's great!

Flan and other delights. This is disco-influenced easy listening in a Latin music coating. I didn’t hate it because there’s a reason easy listening albums sell millions of copies, but I’m also not going to mistake this for real music. Somewhere a non-English speaking person is listening to a Barry Manilow album and praising its musical complexity because it’s hard to spot pablum when it’s not from your culture. That’s because most people merely adopted the lame. I was born in it, molded by it. I’ve seen an episode of The Love Boat where Sunny Bono plays a Gene Simmons knock off who comes to learn to love soft music. I can spot a lame-o in any language or cultural context. And these guys are lame-o’s.

Nice.

I liked it at the start, but got tired of it halfway through. Still though it doesn't last long and is a nice change of pace from the norm. Rating: 2.8

A Salsa album, but the opening track, "Plástico", starts off like a Disco album from the late 1970s. I'm not really a Salsa fan, but my favourite track on the album was "María Lionza".

Really enjoyed this! A fan of this genre but get lost in the names and albums. This was a lot of fun

It's salsa, I likes the trumpets

I was surprised at this one. I hadn't heard it before. I enjoyed it. Not sure I'd listen again, but I'm happy to have heard once.

Самба на берегу ансамбля

never heard of this one either

Another Latin American album, not bad but nothing special. Not my sort of thing, but done well enough.

Not bad

Fine for Salsa music

Goh, dit was wel een leuke dagstart in de auto. Zeker als je jezelf waant in een goed spaans tapas restaurant. En dan bedoel ik niet La Cubanita, waar de gehaktbal nog net niet de magnetron uit rolt. Nee, dit is voor de echte Spaanse toko's. Echter, het is allemaal wel heel erg hetzelfde. Wat datbetreft is het fijn dat ze het kort hebben gehouden met 43 min. Al met al, prima om een keer te luisteren, maar niet perse het wederhoren waard voor mij. 3 reten.

3/5. Salsa has never drawn my attention fully. It is most likely because I cannot understand the vocals and that's on me, I get that, but the music doesn't make up for it. I enjoy jam bands and extended instrumentals, but it is just the vibe and energy that is not doing it for me. I can appreciate this record though, and I did find myself digging some songs, but this is not one I would put on repeat. I think I just lose myself in the track list. Best Song: Plástico, Siembra, Buscando Guayaba

Nice. Wasn't expecting it to start out with that little disco riff. faves: "Plastico", "Siembra"

Quite fun, I didn't dislike it, but not something I'd seek out again or do a closer listen to.

Salsa isn’t my kind of music, and I’ll never listen to the album again. But I has a good time listening to this, it is nice summer weather and life is good

It's fun. 3.5*

Not familiar with salsa music and whether it is good or not. I did enjoy listening to it but became bored after the first two songs. I did appreciate the production which was crisp and tight.

Hot salsa with a bit of disco mixed in, it was the 70s after all. Some easy listening here, would be even better in a club with some spicy salsa dancers. All songs listenable- enjoyable experience. (2.75*s)

My favorites were plastico and Pedro Navaja.. it wasn’t bad. I just had to translate the songs to get a better understanding of the messages

Cannot be bothered to listen to Spanish music. Some beats are good though. 3/5

Great mix of Latin and modern.

strong contender for worst album cover on the list lol

Fun!

Yeah, this was fun! No fault of their own that I missed something by not understanding the lyrics

pas pire mais je préférais l’autre

Enjoyed the sound but I wouldn't particularly seek this out again

It’s nice to hear some Latino music in these lists. Overall it sounds pretty good, nothing too crazy though.

Pretty cool, not really into listening to salsa but I liked it--would prefer dancing to it.

It started off a bit more disco than I expected but I enjoyed the slice of samba and Latin music this gave. Will I listen to it again? Probably not.

I probably lose a lot by not understanding the subject matter as I don't speak Spanish, that said, musically, my interest dissipated as the album progressed. It is a solid album but not to my taste. There's little that is poor about the album but there's also little that raises it above "okay" or "decent". 3* Would I listen again? No! Would I buy this album? No! 1. "Plástico" Rubén Blades 6:37 - The orchestration at the beginning was excellent, and I thought we would be taken into something akin to the Philadelphia sound. Instead Salsa rhythms. 3* 2. "Buscando Guayaba" 5:43 - Who knew Cowbell could be so annoying? Once you hear it it, that's it. 3* 3. "Pedro Navaja" 7:21 - A little different to the previous two tracks. Vocally, the singer has a nice enough voice. The cowbell is back! 3* 4. "María Lionza" 5:27 - 3*. Oh some funky bass comes in half way through. "More Cowbell?" The horn section is nice. 3* 5. "Ojos" 4:50 - 3* 6. "Dime" 6:59 - 3*. 7. "Siembra" 5:21 - Now this starts dramatic, almost like a theme tune to an American, 1970s, TV Cop show. Orchestration is nice. Best track on the album. 3* 21/35

Not usually into Latin music but very good

Not my usual style but fun for a while. Buscando Guayaba stood out as particularly cool.

A fun, upbeat album and a great way to celebrate being done for summer break. I feel like the next time I listen to it should be at the beach or something.

My wife and I took 3 years of Salsa dancing lessons about 7 years ago. We listened to a lot of Salsa at that time. This album doesn't standout from any of the other songs we listened to back then. It's good music to dance to, but I don't know how it's claimed as the best Salsa album of all time.

Sadly, it falls off towards the end. The first few tracks are bangers tho.

Nice enough Salsa, but it does feel a bit repetitive at times. Good for the background, but not overly exciting.

fun but ultimately not really my jam. i liked dime

very fun!

A real moment of heat and rhythm. I’ve taken my share of salsa classes and this is the sound for the dance floor.

Funkier than I expected. Would probably rate higher of it was more my taste.

Interesting

3.5

Feels like the club in the movie the mask

Unfortunately for me even the best Salsa (which I'm sure this is) just fades into background music - very pleasant but ultimately forgettable. If I understood Spanish I may have a different view or if was in a beach side bar with hips to die for .. but as it is I'm working on my PC with a cranky back. It does have a great brass section and it is now my goto Salsa album - although cannot really ever seeing me needing to go to Salsa town.

Decent, bounces along in enjoyable fashion,, sounds clean, obviously talented musicians, though no idea what’s being said but sounds fluid, nice mixed in funk and disco. . 3.5 Star

I appreciate the quality of music here but I have no emotional attachment to this album.

Its very chill and nice but got redundant

One of the very few non Anglo albums to pop up on my list so far. Very refreshing as this list seems to have some inherent biases. Do I know what they are on about? No. Do I care? Not really. This was a fun record. Starting out with an incredible disco vibe and evolving into some very interesting Salsa. The horns and bass were great. I see a lot of comments on how it all sounds the same, but that makes me wonder if the album was listened to at all as there is some significant (within genre) diversity between tracks which makes each stand on it's own.

I am a big fan of Latin/Salsa, but I don’t know how this stands out. Tito Puente is more traditional and a lot more fun. This had a little bit of cringy disco on a couple of tracks, but was great at times.

Får lyst å spilla Sims 2

Its good. Perhaps really good. At the end of long night, it’s just background music to a stained and soaking dance floor, sweat, booze and vomit commingling to remind the janitor he’s probably better off.

If you like Salsa this is the pre-eminent example of the genre. Uplifting tunes, tuneful horns and that driving beat . I do not like Salsa.

I’m glad I finally know Reuben Blades the musician. Yet another genre that isn’t one I frequent but I love the vibe. Makes me want to drink a mojito in some sweltering city near the ocean. Wouldn’t mind revisiting this place

okay okay das hani nöd erwarted durs cover hani eifach immer müese an biggie denke aber da hemmer scho chli was anderes on hand ich gluabs das isch au erst szweite album ih die richtig, chan das si? drum segi mal muenis au ih de album-ih-dere-richtig hackordnig under de current cha-cha-champion!!!!! tue (buena vista social club isch da gmeint) drum chlauemer dem schmucke stück es baby vom cover dases mit de sterne überihstimmt drü chind im bluemefeld verlore, bitte ah de kasse 3 go abholeeeee!

This album is great fun. Was expecting a hard listen at first with it not being in my language but it perfectly suited a sunny drive to work - felt like I was in a Tarantino film at times. It’s just good vibes, and some great musicianship - especially the bass. Part of the fun was trying to pick out the few lyrics I did understand and guessing the context of the subject matter, sometimes though that didn’t even really matter and I just got lost in the brass section or the vocal melodies. Not sure when I would listen again - maybe whilst cooking a nice slow brunch or doing some housework as it makes good background music - in the nicest possible way. Will pick it up if I find it on my travels and will definitely revisit. 3/5 Standout tracks; Plastico Maria Lonza Ojos

Made we want to get up and dance, and I hate dancing. Sounds like they pioneered the Salsa genre. Not my vibe, but fun.

Don't listen to much salsa, but this was nice.

Such a classic sound.