Mo Vida

Mo' Vida! charts a course along the cutting edge of Latin music, but what makes it so fascinating is that much of it doesn't originate in Latin countries. Ricardo Lemvo, from the Republic of Congo, now a resident in the United States, offers some reggae-inflected hip-hop. King Changó was born in Venezuela, but his home is in New York, and three of the artists here, including Sergent García, are from France. It doesn't mean real Latin music is unadventurous by any means. Cuba's Orishas have the best hip-hop track on the album with "Represent," and Xiomara Fortuna, from the tiny Dominican Republic, catches a wonderful reggae groove on "Juana la Loca" while keeping some exquisite polyrhythms going. What it boils down to is that the world is becoming one musical melting pot with everybody drawing from--and adding to--the music that moves them. Latin music means far more than salsa or rumba these days, and, as this shows in grand style, far more than the pristine Latin pop of Ricky Martin. Welcome to the 21st century, Latin style. --Chris Nickson