By CHRISTINA SILVA

Hip-hop duo Calle 13 won album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards Thursday in Las Vegas, earning the top prize after a record-breaking ceremony that saw the Puerto Rican stepbrothers receive the 19th award of their career and the most awards ever in a single night.

The socially charged rap group made history before the show was over, winning its 18th award for song of the year for “Latinoamerica.” That broke the record for most awards previously held by 17-time-winner Juanes.

“Today, the music triumphed,” frontman René Pérez Joglar said in Spanish.

In all, Calle 13 was up for 10 awards Thursday and took home all but one because they were nominated twice for album of the year for their work on Shakira’s “Sale el Sol.” The Caribbean group’s anti-establishment album “Entren Los Que Quieran” lent a political overtone to the annual awards show, with its lyrics that slam the White House and the Vatican while celebrating the joys of being poor and Latin American.

Read the full story

Marc Anthony performs at American Airlines Arena. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

The crowd chanted, “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,” trying to lure their salsero out on stage. After dispensing with the obligatory Goya Foods schpeal, whose 75th anniversary was the supposed purpose of the celebration, Marc Anthony descended to a sold-out American Airlines Arena. The crowd jumped to its feet where it remained the rest of the evening.

Anthony immediately grasped his hold on the audience by opening the evening with his biggest U.S. hit, “I Need To Know”. With the crowd swooning and ignited, Anthony’s charismatic energy led the crowd into a powerful performance of “Aquanile”. His haunting, soft opening flowed seamlessly into a high-energy salsa beat. His renowned, elegant passions were personified in a classic debonair black suit with a simple stage set with a few monitors and his (large) backup band.

Known for his ability to slide from powerhouse, high energy to big band salsa to enchanting ballad, Anthony moved the gyrating audience with “Hasta Ayer”. He portrayed the enchanting characteristics of a classic Latino entertainer — emotional, moving, forceful, and yelling at his keyboard player during a tantalizing exhibition.

Photos: Marc Anthony at American Airlines Arena | Visit this writer’s website

The dazzled audience erupted with the enchanting title track from Anthony’s Grammy-winning album Valio La Pena. Infected by his own salsa rhythm of commanding percussion and exultant horn loops, Anthony was not only haunting with the mic but a compelling dancer.
Read the full story

Expose -- Jeannette Jurado, Gioia Bruno and Ann Curless -- perform at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. (Aaron Gilbert / luumphotos.com)

For the last 48 hours, I have had the phrase “You’re taking me…to the point of no return (to the point of no return) Ah ah ah, ah-ah!” running through my head, complete with choreography. And it’s just fine with me.

On the second day of Seminole Casino at Coconut Creek’s ’80s Weekend, Expose and Lisa Lisa, two of that era’s leading female acts, turned the stage at the Nectar Lounge into a giddily proud haven for 40-somethings reliving their yesteryear. But in as cool a way as possible. And I’m one of those people – when Expose singer Jeanette Jurado asked how many babies had been conceived to the saxophone charms of “Seasons Change,” I mentioned to my friend that I’d danced to that very song at my junior prom (NOTE: My date and I were just friends, and nothing even close to baby-making shenanigans ensued.)

The best part of such a nostalgia fest is the continued vocal power of all three members of Expose – Jurado, Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno, as well as their sister in freestyle Lisa Lisa Velez, accompanied by two young hard-bodied singers who may not have been alive when “Head To Toe” and “I Wonder If I Take You Home” were released. They didn’t just sound good in that way that emotional curve fans can grade on when they’re trying to reconcile the music of their youth with the realities of the show they just saw. They were GOOD.

“It’s hard to believe we met 25 years ago,” said Curless, an impressive 46. “We’ve been cryogenically preserved.”

Photos: Expose and Lisa Lisa at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek

After a fun retro dance fest with Atlanta’s DJ Roonie G, the admittedly well-preserved but unfrozen Expose took the stage, immediately impressing with their energy. They were always distinctive for having alternated the lead singer spot. Many of the crossover hits were sung either by Jurado (“Point Of No Return,” “I’ll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me”) or Bruno (“Let Me Be The One”), so I’d forgotten was a good singer Curless is. I was reminded with “Shine On.” The more the show went on, the better they got. And when the end of their appointed hour came, it was a bummer.
Read the full story

Joe Arroyo sings with Wilson Saoko in Mexico City in 2008. (Reuters)

Colombian singer and composer Joe Arroyo, one of the leading lights of the Andean nation’s music scene since the 1970s, died on Tuesday from multiple organ failure, a medical clinic said.

The death of the 55-year-old salsa singer, who had long struggled with a drug problem and diabetes, prompted mourning in the music-loving country and beyond.

“I join the family of Joe Arroyo and the Colombian people for the loss of a great artist. He left us a great legacy, his voice is still present,” tweeted Willie Colon, the New York salsa singer and trombonist.

“It is a sad day for music. … Thanks for all the happiness that you leave us. Viva Joe Arroyo!” Colombian singer Juanes said through his micro-blogging account.
Read the full story

Luis Miguel performs at American Airlines Arena in Miami. (Storms Media Group)

Photos: Luis Miguel at American Airlines Arena

Luis Miguel, “El Sol de Mexico”, shows why he’s got one of the hottest live shows around in his appearance Thursday at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.

Miguel, who has continually broken records during his career for most successful Latin touring artist, put forth the kind of high-energy show he’s become known for.

Currently, he’s touring in support of his self-titled LP, which was released last year and is the singer’s 32nd of his remarkable career.

Hey, SunFesters! I’ll keep this as brief as possible, because if you were at every or almost every day of this year’s SunFest like I was, you’re probably exhausted and don’t have a lot of patience for the words and the comprehension and such.

I enjoyed this year’s SunFest. Was it my favorite of the eight I’ve attended? No. Was it the worst? Not even close. All in all, it’s still an amazing value for the money – there is nowhere else where I could’ve seen Earth Wind and Fire and Jeff Beck down the street from each other for under 40 bucks. I probably couldn’t have seen even one of those acts for that price. And yeah, so the parking and the food is expensive. Where isn’t it? Park and walk, y’all. Eat first. Get hand-stamped, go outside to eat and come back. No one is tying you to the gyro stand with a bungee cord and a hot poker.

I also don’t get people who say “It’s a scam.” It’s costly, depending on how you do it. But a scam is when you pay money for something and get bait and switched. You paid for a bunch of shows that you had the schedule for, so it couldn’t have been a surprise to you. You went to those shows or you didn’t. You didn’t pay for Jeff Beck and get his cousin Joe Beck.  You weren’t scammed. You had a good time or a disappointing one. But I don’t get how anyone was scammed.

Read the full story

Musical giants Tito Puente and Carmen Miranda are bringing some Latin flavor to U.S. postage stamps.

The new set of five forever stamps going on sale Wednesday also honors Celia Cruz, Selena and Carlos Gardel. They represent a range of Latin musical styles, including Tejano, tango, samba, Latin jazz and salsa.

Postal Service vice president Marie Therese Dominguez said the stamps are “a lasting tribute to five extraordinary performers.”

Formal ceremonies for the release of the stamps were held in Austin, Texas, as the stamps went on sale across the country.

Nicolas Reyes and the Gipsy Kings perform at Hard Rock Live. (Veda Jo Jenkins / sflimages.com)

Photos: Gipsy Kings at Hard Rock

The Gipsy Kings brought their distinct Rumba Flamenca pop sounds to South Florida Monday night at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. Opening with “Djobi Djoba”, this world-famous group dazzled a multigenerational audience.

Known for their acoustic guitar rhythms, Spanish lyrics and “palmas” (hand clapping), the Kings set the scene so well, one could close their eyes and imagine being in Southern Spain. Though they have been around since 1987, the group’s international popularity is still huge. In Toy Story 3, they sing a Spanish-language version of “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” except it’s a Spanish version.

The band is made up of a group of brothers and cousins in two related families — the Reyes’ and the Baliardos — from one of whom, the Reyes’, the group gets its name (Reyes is Spanish for Kings). Lead singer Nicolas Reyes’ voice is hoarse and passionate and leads the melodies. The other vocalist/guitarists are Paul Reyes, Canut Reyes, Patchai Reyes, Andre Reyes, Diego Baliardo, Paco Baliardo and Tonino Baliardo.

It was especially interesting to watch them do the their mostly double and triple beat clapping or “palmas” while singing in Spanish and strumming on the guitars, all in sync. There were solos, flamenco dancing by Nicholas’ daughters and favorite numbers including “Un Amor”, “Volare”, and “Bamboleo”.

“Tonight was like being transported to a magical place,” said one concertgoer.

Of one thing we can be certain and that is The Gipsy Kings’ timeless sounds will continue to win over audiences. Next stop for this world class band is Budapest. This is one group I would love to be a gypsy with.

Pop crossover star Enrique Iglesias dominates the list of finalists for the 22nd Billboard Latin Music awards with 14 nominations. Shakira follows close behind with 13 nods.

Telemundo announced the nominees for the April 28 award ceremony to be aired live from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

Iglesias shares the nomination for artist of the year with the native Bronx group Aventura, the Mexican pop trio Camila and Shakira. Iglesias also competes in the Hot Latin Song of The Year category with “Cuando me enamoro,” or “When I fall in Love,” which he sings with veteran Juan Luis Guerra. Guerra received nine nominations.

Also nominated was Lady Gaga, signaling the increasing crossover of English-language on Latin music stations.

Juanes is canceling his April 15 concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami because it was to fall on the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a source close to the singer told The Associated Press.

The source, who did not want to be identitified because of the sensitivity of the matter, told The Associated Press on Monday that when the Miami show was booked, Juanes didn’t realize it was the anniversary. It was the only date available back then.

The source said Cuban exiles put big pressure on Juanes not to hold the concert on that day.

A new date will be announced in the next few days.