From Puerto Rican Soul To Ranchero Punk, New Obsessions In Latin Music

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Puerto Rican soul singer Calma Carmona is Jasmine Garsd's latest musical obsession. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Puerto Rican soul singer Calma Carmona is Jasmine Garsd's latest musical obsession.

Courtesy of the artist

Like many music fans, I have an obsessive relationship with songs. When I find an artist I love, I listen over and over again, sometimes dozens of times in a row, to the point where my neighbors probably think I'm insane. I research the artist and all of his or her influences and contemporaries.

Co-host Felix Contreras and I often discuss the difference between approaching music from the perspective of a dancer (in my case) and approaching music from the perspective of a musician (in Felix's case). I have a theory that even my need to listen to songs over and over again comes from the habit of repeating dance routines for hours on end. Each time you get deeper into a song, you discover different nuances that you missed the first few times you heard it.

This week on Alt.Latino, Felix and I grapple with different musical obsessions. He brings amazing music from the Los Angeles Tropical revival, prompting me to ask him about his youth as a Chicano who came up with Mexican music and ultimately fell in love with Caribbean styles.

As for me, I have a fever, and the only thing that can cure it is new Latin soul. I've already documented my obsession with several new singers, and today I get to showcase another favorite — this one from Puerto Rico.

So come join us, and as always, tell us what you think in the comments. What are your musical obsessions?