The Latin pop and rock en español fields are full of talented artists who would probably be huge in the English-language market if they didn't sing in Spanish exclusively. Some non-Spanish-speaking listeners don't mind listening to lyrics they don't understand – the beat and the melody are enough for them – but many others insist on understanding every word that is coming out of an artist's mouth. Thus, Latin stars usually don't cross over to English-speaking audiences until they start singing in English, which is what Shakira does on 2001's Laundry Service. "Whenever, Wherever," this album's infectious lead single, is to Shakira what "Livin' la Vida Loca" was to Ricky Martin: the major hit that brought her to English-speaking audiences in a big way.

Shakira's 1996 debut album, Pies Descalzos set the stage for one of the international community's most celebrated and exciting stars. The album took a while to gain momentum, but once it did, the young chanteuse ascended to dizzying commercial heights that were only magnified with her more electrifying later releases. The more tranquil Pies Descalzos, however, finds the young singer/songwriter balancing heartfelt, earnest ballads (such as "Te Necesito") with catchy, jangly pop/rock. The album opens with the infectious and melodic pop/rocker "Estoy Aqui" and continues with the ballad "Antologia" before breaking into the dancehall-lite of "Un Poco de Amor."

Don’t Hesitate is a musical and personal milestone for Midуn, who took control of every aspect of the album’s recording process, despite being blind since birth. The artist cut all of the tracks in his home studio, playing most of the instruments himself and handling all of the project’s technical elements on his own, utilizing special computer software that enabled him to engineer the sessions.

José Marin was one of the most prolific composers of tonos humanos (profane songs in Romance languages) of the Spanish Baroque period. His works were disseminated all over the world and one of his complete manuscripts is called the Fitzwilliam Manuscript and is in Cambridge. The songs were traditionally accompanied by harp or guitar.

Japan only release edition! Best selection album of Sarah Brightman. 18 tracks, releasing in SHM-CD format. Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, musician, songwriter, and dancer. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in Cats and met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom she later married. She went on to star in several West End and Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, where she originated the role of Christine Daaé.

Cancoes, vilancicos e motetes portugueses, séculos XVI-XVII, performed by the Huelgas Ensemble under Paul van Nevel, is one of the recordings issued to mark Lisbon's status as European Cultural Capital in 1994. It concentrates on more varied aspects of Portuguese music than does the Ars Nova recording; first, the majority of the works included, whether sacred or secular, have vernacular texts (Spanish and Portuguese); second, the composers mostly represent the diaspora of Portuguese musicians within Spain, other parts of Europe, and the New World.

With her powerful pipes, stunning showmanship, and superhuman sense of timing, Celia Cruz defined her chosen genre like few other performers in the history of popular music. EXITOS ETERNOS is a collection of tracks the "Queen of Salsa" recorded during the last decade of her life that, despite the vocalist's advanced age, clearly show Cruz's talents never wavered. Known for her uncompromising attitude and refusal to sing in English, Cruz valued aesthetic purity, but never became a museum piece. A driving pulse and rhythmic toasting that recall dancehall reggae propel her 2001 hit "La Negra Tiene Tumbao," and other tracks feature subtle synthesizer textures. Unlike lesser artists, however, Cruz is able to incorporate these disparate sonic colors seamlessly, making them sound as traditional as a conga drum or guiro. Of course, the unrelenting force behind each recording is Cruz's astounding voice, the sheer energy of which makes even these later recordings sound both classic and utterly contemporary.

Like many eponymous albums, Shakira's self-titled 2014 set marks a new beginning: a new album for a new label after she got a new job. The new job was as a co-host on the hit American televised musical contest The Voice, the new label was RCA, and the new album was her first full-fledged pop album since She Wolf, the rather brilliant, hard electronic dance record that stiffed in 2009. She bounced back in 2010 with Sale el Sol, but that album wasn't made with the U.S. market in mind, something that certainly can't be said of Shakira. Opening up with a duet with Rihanna, and later finding space for her Voice co-host Blake Shelton, Shakira is determined to appeal to all audiences here: don't like the relentless dance of "Dare (La La La)"? Stick around for the reggae collaboration with Magic! on "Cut Me Deep," or maybe the appealing faux-folk of "23" or the full-bore adult-pop assault of "The One Thing," which may be the best cut here.

The English-titled version of Shakira's seventh studio album, The Sun Comes Out/Sale el Sol, features exactly the same 15 tracks as the Spanish edition, but with a different running order, as the collaborations with Dominican rapper El Cata ("Rabiosa", "Loca") are reduced to bonus track status in favor of the more well-known hookups with Pitbull and Dizzee Rascal, respectively, while the official 2010 World Cup theme, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," swaps places on the track list with the "Esto Es África" version.

Corazón is Carlos Santana's first album for a major label since 2002's Shaman. It marks his reunion with executive producer Clive Davis, who masterminded 1999's multi-platinum Supernatural. Billed by RCA as his "first Latin album," Corazón is the studio counterpart to the guitarist's HBO Latino concert special that featured his band performing with a host of Latin music superstars in his native Mexico. The singing was (as it is here) mostly in Spanish. For the most part, Santana actually sounds hungry again. His studio band is filled with killers, including drummer Dennis Chambers, timbalero Karl Perazza, and conguero Raul Rekow. Opener "Saideira" features his trademark tone in a passionate, stinging, gritty exchange with vocalist Samuel Rosa, from the Brazilian rock and reggae band Skank. Jittering, insistent horns and layers of percussion push both men to escalate the battle. Juanes lends his soulful croon to first single "La Flaca." It's got an anthemic hook with layers of backing vocals framing Santana's tight and tasty solos.