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When I lived in Spain a few years ago, I learnt a thing or two. I learned that Spain is NOT Mexico, as a lot of North Americans are wont to believe, assume, expect. I learned that Mexico is the way it is because of Spain -- The good, the bad, the ugly. I love Mexico, and I truly love Spain. One of the people in Spain that influenced me exponentially was a very beautiful person from San Fernando. I fell in love with her and stupidly messed it up... as I'm very good at doing. So anyway, she had great taste in everything, but I'm not so sure about her music, now that I look back. She had me HOOKED on Spanish pop. I don't know much else about music from the Iberian Peninsula, but whenever I hear Spanish pop, I wax sentimentally and am lost in nostalgia. Here are some of the groups (with the help of last.fm) that I still hear when I think of downtown Cadiz, Jerez, and the beaches of Costa de la Luz & Costa del Sol:

80s 90s dance folk mexico musica latina pop rock rock en español sevillana spain

1. Mecano
2. La Oreja de Van Gogh
3. Alejandro Sanz
4. Ana Torroja
5. Miguel Bosé
6. Hombres G
7. Presuntos Implicados
8. Ella Baila Sola
9. Amaral
10. Paulina Rubio
11. Julieta Venegas
12. Nena Daconte
13. Shakira
14. Rosana
15. Azúcar Moreno
16. Massiel
17. Juanes
18. Paloma San Basilio
19. Isabel Pantoja
20. Thalía
21. Mónica Naranjo
22. Luis Miguel
23. Efecto Mariposa
24. David Civera
25. Manu Tenorio

Perchance I wasn't snapping my fingers to latin pop, I was out looking for something more in-country, more folk. After all, Andalusia is the birthplace of flamenco, and one cannot walk through any spanish town any night and not see flamencodancers and/or a spanish guitar, somewhere. So I'd sit down and have a sherry and watch the show. Such great music.

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1. Ottmar Liebert
2. Jesse Cook
3. Armik
4. Paco de Lucía
5. Gipsy Kings
6. Oscar Lopez
7. Andrés Segovia
8. Julian Bream
9. Strunz & Farah
10. Joaquín Rodrigo
11. Tierra Negra
12. Manuel de Falla
13. Johannes Linstead
14. Vicente Amigo
15. Paco Peña
16. Pepe Romero
17. Heitor Villa-Lobos
18. Rodrigo y Gabriela
19. Carlos Campos
20. Alabina
21. Isaac Albéniz
22. Fanfare Ciocărlia
23. Henrik T
24. Lara & Reyes
25. Gino D'Auri

One other thing... There is another part of Iberia, a place to the west called Albufeira in a great country called Portugal. Such great people, great food, and great music. All those years of world influence has come back there in spades. Bossa Novas and Sambas from Brazil. But one of the best experiences is listening to Fado.

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1. Mariza
2. Amália Rodrigues
3. Maria Rita
4. Cesária Évora
5. Dulce Pontes
6. Cristina Branco
7. Madredeus
8. Mísia
9. Seu Jorge
10. Bebel Gilberto
11. Cibelle
12. Farofa Carioca
13. Marisa Monte
14. Astrud Gilberto
15. Lura
16. Arto Lindsay
17. Chico Buarque
18. Sabrina Malheiros
19. Mayra Andrade
20. Mafalda Arnauth
21. Jorge Ben Jor
22. João Gilberto
23. CéU
24. Katia Guerreiro
25. Ana Carolina