Salsa romántica, which means "Romantic Salsa" in Spanish and is pronounced [ˈsalsa roˈmantika], is a gentler style of salsa music. It began to develop between the mid-1980s and early 1990s in New York City, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Some people criticize it for being seen as a less intense version of "real" salsa, which is often called "salsa dura."

Description and origins

The genre was started by La Palabra, a Cuban musician, in the mid-1980s. It developed during a time when classic salsa, made famous by Fania Records, was becoming popular on Latin music charts, along with the rise of Latin pop. Salsa romántica was a version of melodic love songs with a smooth, light salsa music background. This style came from one album, Noches Calientes, made in 1984 by Fania producer Luis Ramirez.

Young musicians like Lalo Rodriguez and Puerto Rican Eddie Santiago made salsa with light, bubbly songs and lyrics that hinted at romance. Salsa romántica uses softer, quieter music played by a group of instruments, slow salsa rhythms, and romantic lyrics. Because of the softer music and slower rhythm, some people have called this genre "limp salsa."

Criticism

Salsa romántica was strongly influenced by the balada style (or pop style) of salsa. It is often criticized because both styles use simple musical elements. Salsa romántica has been described as a copy of classic salsa. In Cuba, some critics call it the "white" style to show the difference between it and traditional salsa. Critics also say that "true salsa" includes complex musical elements. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, critics called salsa romántica a "commercialized, watered-down" version of Latin pop, where simple, emotional love songs were paired with an Afro-Cuban beat.

Today

Jerry Rivera was the first salsa musician to achieve triple platinum status with his album Cuenta Conmigo (Count on Me), which featured only salsa romántica music. Other well-known performers of salsa romántica include La India, Luis Enrique, Giro Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Víctor Manuelle. Marc Anthony has been the top-selling salsa artist over the past two decades. Another salsa artist, Omar Alfano, was helped to start a business by salsa dura songwriter Johnny Ortiz.