With Latin music's popularity on the constant rise in the early 21st century, Universal Music Latino decided to educate those less familiar with the genre by issuing The Gringo Guide to Salsa. The record is pretty much exactly how it sounds: it covers 14 of the biggest hits from some the biggest salseros around, skipping the lesser-known (at least in terms of the Anglicized world) artists. Which means that it's a good album. It's nearly impossible to gather tracks from Celia Cruz, José "El Canario" Alberto, Tito Puente, and Raphy Leavitt (who is incorrectly listed as "Ralphie Leavitt") and come up with anything but hot beats, tight horns, and singers who can pull emotion out of every note. Especially great are Venezuelan vocalist Oscar D'Leon on "Me Voy Pa' Cali," one of his most famous songs, with its full brass section highlighting the passion in D'Leon's voice, and Frankie Ruiz's "Bailando," whose chorus can have even someone who's only learned Spanish from Taco Bell signing and dancing along within a few minutes. With the inclusion of more modern salsa artists like Issac Delgado and Andy Montañez, The Gringo Guide to Salsa is a well-rounded introduction to this very diverse and active genre. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
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