Best Latin Albums of 2023: Karol G, Tainy, Mon Laferte
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Spanish-language records were all over the map in 2023 — literally. Artists from across the Latin diaspora tested their musical breadth: reggaeton artists from Colombia and Puerto Rico tried their hand at Mexican music and in contrast, Mexican hitmakers infused the sounds of their homeland with rap and rock as last year‘s reggaeton titans — that’s Bad Bunny and producer Tainy — flexed their fluency with enthralling new releases.
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This year, Latin music — characterized by its Spanish-language lyricism and Latin-American origins — was spearheaded by Karol G’s fourth full-length release “Mañana Será Bonito,” which easily earned a spot on Variety‘s Top 10 Latin albums list (and Variety‘s staff picks for Best Albums of 2023). The 17-song record proved Karol’s virtuosity in reggaeton and demonstrated her scope, dipping into pop — with an assist from Grammy-winning producer Finneas — to música Mexicana, house music and more. Not only that, the record established Karol as a leading lady of entertainment in the United States, as “Mañana” became the first female-led all-Spanish album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 shortly after its release in late February. It also made Karol the second woman to ever win a Latin Grammy for a música úrbana album.
Young talent led the revolution of age-old sounds in 2023. Tejano hitmakers Grupo Frontera (“El Comienzo”), Eslabon Armado (“Desvelado”), Carin Leon (“Colmillo De Leche”), DannyLux (“DLUX”) and Peso Pluma (“Genesis”), are just a few of the acts that released career and genre-warping records that led to música Mexicana’s explosive year.
Several artists also expanded their catalog with surprising releases, from Mon Laferte’s experimental “Autopoiética” to Becky G’s ranchera set “Esquinas” and Y La Bamba’s psych-rock set “Lucha.” Meanwhile, veterans of their genre, like Juanes (“Vida Coitdiana”) and Don Omar (“Forever King”), returned to their roots.
Of course, 10 is not enough of a quantification to truly capture the depth of Latin music in 2023 — and not all of the records mentioned above made the list — but we tried our best to identify the year’s most poignant and memorable Spanish-language LPs.
10. Jenni Rivera, ‘Misión Cumplida’
“Misión Cumplida,” an album comprised of unreleased material sung by the late Jenni Rivera, is an exemplary posthumous project — not only for its accurate representation of the Diva de la Banda’s ultimate artistic vision — but for its production style. Helmed by Jenni’s longtime collaborators and friends, Banda MS’ Pavel Ocampo and Sergio Lizárraga, the lengthy production process saw the completion of 16 unreleased demos that Rivera had recorded before she died in 2012. Her former musicians and vocalists also joined to complete the unfinished arrangements — a distinct formula of tuba and alto horns — that make up the Mexican banda music Rivera helped popularize in the U.S.
9. Y La Bamba, ‘Lucha’
On “Lucha,” Y La Bamba – comprised primarily of Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos – reaches a new level of actualization some 14 years after its debut. In the alt-rock outfit’s seventh LP, interludes of self-reflection arrive in the form of gauzy instrumentals built from dreamy percussion, splayed guitar chords and live congas with production helmed by producers Coco Hernán Godas and Ryan Neil Oxford. At times, what sounds like an organ on the guitar-driven “Collapse” is actually made up of layered and manipulated strums. While gentle in sound, the lyrics often mimic spoken word poetry and at times are disguised as mantras (“My breath finds me empty / I let myself go with the purest of feelings,” Ramos sings on “Dibujos De Mi Alma” )that cut deep but with the ultimate purpose of healing.
8. Becky G, ‘Esquinas’
Becky G celebrated her Mexican-American roots, and urged her peers to do the same, with her third studio album “Esquinas.” Working hand-in-hand with Grammy-nominated producer Edgar Barrera (whose credits span projects with everyone from Bad Bunny to Shakira), Becky commemorated her dual cultural identity by melting together the traditional, romantic ranchera styles her grandparents used to play with the evolving genre. The record has become somewhat of a yearbook featuring some of the pioneers of the new school including Peso Pluma, Ivan Cornejo, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, DannyLux and Angela Aguilar, to name a few.
7. Juanes, ‘Vida Cotidiana’
Juanes’ self-proclaimed best album, “Vida Cotidiana” (which translates to “Everyday Life”) reads like a victory lap for the Colombian rocker who vaunts his signature electric guitar-tinged funk. Flecks of cumbia, pop-rock and reggae fill the sonic space between post-pandemic admissions on the singer’s marital and familial turmoils. On tracks like “Gris,” Juanes laments these realizations that seem juxtaposed when matched with the eagerness of pummeling drums and guitar-driven melodies. At other times, Juanes rues the sociopolitical agitations plaguing the collective, as does in the orchestral opening track “Mayo,” which speaks to the violence engulfing his home country.
6. Eslabon Armado, ‘Desvelado’
Eslabon Armado’s billowy lyrics about heartbreak and puppy love have become anthems for a new generation of Latin fans. Eslabon has defined the sad sierreño subgenre of música Mexicana with their past five LPs, and with “Desvelado,” the foursome sets a new standard with a range of features from the Latin diaspora: Grupo Frontera, Jhayco, and Junior H, all making appearances. The set also boasts the massively successful “Ella Baila Sola,” a collaboration with Peso Pluma, which became the first regional Mexican song to enter the top five of Billboard’s all-genre-inclusive Hot 100 chart.
5. Bad Bunny, ‘Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana’
How do you follow up a global No. 1? Bad Bunny’s answer was to return to his roots. After establishing his star power with “Un Verano Sin Ti” in 2022, Bunny’s fifth studio album “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana” paid homage to his trap past but flexed his present-day bearings in what felt like an exhaustive diary entry. The record’s strongest moments come in samples of Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue” on the bouncy “Vou 787,” Charles Azanvour’s “Hier Encore” on “Monaco,” and Tego Calderón’s “Pa’ Que Retozen” on “Fina.”
4. Peso Pluma, ‘Genesis’
After securing multiple successful collaborations, thus launching a global breakthrough in his nascent career, Peso Pluma proved he was here to stay with “Genesis.” Jumping between lovelorn corridos like “Luna” and “Lagunas” to more high-energy tracks like “VVS,” Peso keeps the emotional grit of old-timy corridos with assists from other Mexican heavy hitters like Natanael Cano and Junior H.
3. Mon Laferte, ‘Autopoiética’
Mon Laferte captures her evolution — both in her personal life and as a singer-songwriter and visual artist — in “Autopoiética.” The record’s name derives from a similar concept coined by Chilean biologists Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana in the ’70s that describes the process of self-maintenance of cells. Laferte takes this concept metaphorically, applying it to issues of social judgment while also exploring elements of neo-perreo in the gothic “NO+SAD” and trip-hop in “Tenochtitlán.” Laferte also leaves room for upbeat cumbia, dembow and salsa, showing off the extent of her interests and artistry with hidden samples and interpolations — the most striking being an interpolation of the centuries-old opera “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini for the dramatized “Casta Diva.”
2. Tainy, ‘Data’
Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for — such was the case for “Data,” the debut record from Puerto Rican producer and songwriter Tainy. After crafting hits for Bad Bunny’s culturally shifting 2022 record “Un Verano Sin Ti,” and countless other reggaeton classics, Tainy’s “Data” pays homage to his creative history, taking visual inspiration from surrealist Japanese anime, with a stacked feature list involving Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Feid, Daddy Yankee, Arcangel with producers Arca, Skrillex, Four Tet and more. Their combined talent, paired with Tainy’s signature atmospheric production, is the glue to a concept album about a cyborg whose “Data” is comprised of the 20 songs on the record.
1. Karol G, ‘Mañana Será Bonito’
No one had a better year than Karol G – and she agrees. On Dec. 13, the Colombian superstar released her final single of the year – “Qué Chimba de Vida” (roughly translates to “What An Awesome Life”) on the heels of an incredible year in her career. Though she claimed 2024 as her year of rest, Karol did not anticipate her fourth studio record would be the catalyst to what has been a breakthrough year in her career. With radio hits from the techno-infused “Provenza” and “Cairo” to reggaeton bangers with Romeo Santos, Sean Paul and more, “Mañana” established Karol as a global superstar with a bright and beautiful tomorrow ahead of her.
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