Salsa romántica (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for Romantic Salsa) is a soft form of

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban and Puerto Rican influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most ...

that emerged between the mid-1980s and early 1990s in

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, and the

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. It has been criticised for it being supposedly a pale imitation of "real" salsa, often called " salsa dura".

Description and origins

The genre was introduced by La Palabra, a Cuban musician, in the mid-1980s. It arose at a time when classic salsa, popularized by

Fania Records Fania Records is a New York City, New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964 in music, 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette fre ...

, was growing on the Latin record charts, including the rise of

Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...

. Salsa romántica was an adaptation of melodic

love songs A love song is a song about love, falling in love, broken heart, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sa ...

to a smooth, light salsa backing. The style sprang from a single album, ''Noches Calientes'', created in 1984 by Fania producer Luis Ramirez. Young salseros such as Lalo Rodriguez and the Puerto Rican Eddie Santiago were creating salsa with frothy songs and suggestive lyrics. Salsa romántica uses softer, quieter orchestral sounds, ballads set to a slowed-down salsa rhythm and romantic lyrics. Due to the softer orchestration and leisurely rhythm, some have nicknamed this genre "limp salsa".

Criticism

Salsa romántica was heavily influenced by the balada style (or

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

style) of salsa and is widely criticized due to the simple compositional style of both types. Salsa romántica has been considered to be an imitation of classic salsa. In Cuba, some critics refer to salsa romántica as the "white" style to differentiate it from traditional salsa. Critics have also stated that "true salsa" involved intricate composition. Critics of salsa romántica, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s, called it a "commercialized, watered-down" form of Latin pop, in which formulaic, sentimental love ballads were simply put to an

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

beat.Manuel, Peter (1994). The soul of the barrio: 30 years of salsa. NACLA Report on the Americas. 28 (2).

Today

Jerry Rivera Jerry Rivera (born Gerardo Rivera Rodríguez on July 31, 1973) is a Puerto Rican salsa singer and songwriter. Early years Rivera was born in Humacao, a town located on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. He moved with his family to Levittown in ...

was the first salsero to go triple platinum with his record '' Cuenta Conmigo'' (''Count on Me''), which was all salsa romántica.

La India Linda Bell Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), known professionally as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the L ...

Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player. He is the manager of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playin ...

, Giro Lopez,

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer and actor. He is the top selling salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-tim ...

, and Víctor Manuelle are some of the best-known performers of salsa romántica. Marc Anthony has been the highest-selling salsa artist of the past two decades. Another salsa artist, Omar Alfano, was handheld into a business by salsa dura songwriter Johnny Ortiz.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salsa Romantica Salsa music 1980s in Latin music 1990s in Latin music