Finishing with Part 4 of notable music in 2021, this chart covers songs which interested me in the last few months of the year. (Part 1 is Early 2021; Part 2 is Spring 2021, Part 3 is Summer 2021). Salsa is my focus, but other genres are included. Listed here are 150 tracks --not the usual 140, since I added 10 bonus salsa songs released in 2021.
Lists 1 to 8 are about salsa, with ten songs each. The other lists have five songs. For information about how lists were organized, see the project description and the notes at the bottom of this page.
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All the lists are on Spotify and Apple Music. Just click on either button after each list.
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Categories
Salsa | Other Latin | Other Genres | Mixes
Salsa
1. CONTEMPORARY SALSA - New
Released in late 2021
Tracks 31-40
Tracks 41-50 (Bonus)
Still Hot from 2020
Special Pick: "Lo Bueno Está Aquí"
2. CONTEMPORARY SALSA - Recent
Still Hot from 2020
Tracks 31-40
Winners from the 2010s
Special Pick: "El Son Guaguancó"
3. CONTEMPORARY SALSA - Anthems
(Winners From the 2010s)
Tracks 31-40
The Millenial Era
Special Pick: "Yo Tengo Lo Mio"
4. Contemporary SALSA - nostalgic
(The Millennial Era)
Tracks 31-40
(Tracks 21-30)
The Golden Era
Special Pick: "Por Que Adoré"
5. CLASSIC SALSA
(The Golden Era)
Tracks 31-40
Songs for my Father
Special Pick: "Caña y Coco"
6. THE ROOTS OF SALSA
Songs for my Father
Tracks 31-40
Missed Gems Discovered in 2021
Special Pick: "Mi Amigo Licor"
7. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
(Missed Gems Discovered in 2021)
Tracks 31-40
Exclusively Cuban Artists
Special Pick: "Tú No Suenas"
8. SPOTLIGHT: Cuba
Exclusively Cuban Artists
Tracks 31-40
Other Latin Music
Spotlight: Japan
Special Pick: "Descarga Con Vibes"
9. SPOTLIGHT: Japan
Exclusively Japanese Artists
Tracks 16-20
Full Circle
Special Pick: "Guajira Ven"
10. SPOTLIGHT: Africa
Full Circle
Tracks 16-20
New & Recent Bachata
Special Pick: "La Bachata"
11. Spotlight: Bachata
New & Recent
Tracks 16-20
Contemporary Easy Listening
Special Pick: "Para Ti, Para Mi"
12. LATIN LOUNGE
Contemporary Easy Listening
Tracks 16-20
Deep Latin Vibes
Special Pick: "Guajira Controversial"
13. DEEP LATIN VIBES
Classic Boogaloo / Cha cha cha / Son / Guajira
Tracks 16-20
Reggaeton & More
Special Pick: "Aprendi"
14. SABROSURA SIN CLAVE
Reggaeton & More
Tracks 16-20
Other Genres
Old & New Jamaican Music
Special Pick: "So Incredible"
15. SPOTLIGHT ON JAMAICA
Old & New
Tracks 16-20
Old & New African Music
Special Pick: "Aninha"
16. SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICA
Old & New
Tracks 16-20
Club Jazz
Special Pick: "Pandajero"
17. SPOTLIGHT: Club Jazz
Acid-/Nu-/Funk-Jazz & Broken Beat
Tracks 16-20
Upbeat Vibes
Special Pick: "Shamisen K"
18. MISCELLaNEA
Upbeat Vibes
Tracks 16-20
Bonus: Inspiring Mixes of Late 2021
Mellow Mood ~ Lovers Rock Mix
Latin Music from Guinea
Sweet Mello Sweet PR
(MSQ)
Salsa Romantica
Salsa Playlist #380
Notes
Although the charts mention 2021, only one list is exclusively for 2021 releases (List #1).
Songs in the other lists have been chosen because they were somehow relevant to me in 2021. For example, lists 2 to 5 have salsa tracks from other years, but they were used in DJ sets this year. List 6 is a selection prepared for a tribute to my late father, who passed away in 2021. List 7 features salsa discovered in 2021 but from earlier years, et cetera.
The basic criteria is that songs were chosen for some personal relevance in 2021.
It goes without saying that song selection for any list is subjective. My intention is just to share songs which had meaning for me in 2021, regardless of release date. In order to give value, cohesion, and relevance, I carefully organized these lists. However, this project was for fun, so in no way are the lists intended to be authoritative. Besides, I cannot conceivably know the full range of possible songs relevant to a certain category.
Finally, a top-10 (or top-5) ranking style has been avoided. Instead, songs are listed in alphabetical order by title.
Let me know what you think about these lists. Any recommendations for late 2021? Are there any songs that were personally significant for you regardless of release year?
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