By now, many students have eaten plenty of arroz con frijoles and danced la bachata — some awkwardly, some gracefully — in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The festivities are not quite over, and Latin superstar Alejandro Sanz’s latest album, “La Musica No Se Toca,” is perfect for both traditional and modern tastes.

The Spaniard has been wooing the hearts of many since he grew up on the streets of Madrid, practicing the traditional Flamenco style he learned at an early age. Sanz went on to release his debut album at the tender age of 16, under the name Alejandro Magno, or Alexander the Great. “Los Chulos Pa’ Cuidarlos,” which fused flamenco and techno music, was unsurprisingly unsuccessful, and it even caused Sanz to leave music to study business administration.

He made a much more successful comeback, however, when he signed to Warner Music Latina and released eight commercially and internationally successful albums, winning 15 Latin Grammys and three Grammys, leading to him becoming the first Spanish artist to record an MTV Unplugged album in 2001.

Through it all, Sanz has become known for his signature raspy voice and flamenco-infused love ballads. His international fame has largely come from his ability to infuse traditional Spanish sounds with funk, rhythm and blues, rock, jazz and even country. In “La Musica No Se Toca,” Sanz reminds us once again why he’s his fans’ favorite Latin lover through beautiful, genre-blending songs that touch all the senses.

In “Nena,” Sanz gives us a dose of traditional Spanish balladry. He sings to his nena, a word for baby, and boy is she a lucky dog. Sanz’s gentle voice explains that this girl is nothing but trouble and the kind of crazy that men always fall over. However, even though she seems to be the love-him-then-leave-him type, she always comes crawling back, and Alejandro waits with open arms and smooth vocals. Subtle and romantic piano and accordion lead up to the chorus when Sanz lets out a heartfelt “Nena.” He finishes by saying, “Maldito sea tu arte, pidiendome perdon, y yo estare de nuevo aqui para perdonarte,” which means, “Damn your art, asking forgiveness, and I will be back here to forgive.”

Sanz mixes it up in “Llamando A La Mujer Accion.” The song starts off with ethereal instrumentation, but once it gets going, it sounds a lot like country. Nashville is nowhere near Sanz’s native city of Madrid, but he somehow managed to capture elements of the genre through laid-back electric guitar solos in the chorus. Additionally, the way he accents “tarde, tarde, tarde de Enero” in the chorus, has a twang and vibe that screams Latin cowboy.

What was more out of left field was his “Down,” featuring Daddy Yankee, which actually sounds like it was recorded about 20 years ago by a Mark Anthony-Blackstreet cover band. The relaxed R&B track is complete with random deep-voiced, background “yeahs,” has ’90s written all over it and is perfectly bouncy. It’s topped off with a verse from Hispanic rapper Daddy Yankee for a hip-hop touch, and the end result works surprisingly well. The tune, unfortunately, doesn’t provide a lot of range and does Sanz’s voice no justice. But the sheer fact that he pulled this off in 2012 is commendable.

Sanz is already an international superstar, with collaborations with Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Destiny’s Child and Shakira to his credit. But now he’s secured his role as an ambassador of Latin music. “La Musica No Se Toca” proves that you don’t have to know Spanish to realize that the genre can be unbelievably versatile. Flamenco has a new sound — no translation needed.

Published on October 9, 2012 at 1:57 am

Contact Ibet: ieinyang@syr.edu