Items38The creator’s order
  1. 1En Mi Viejo San JuanEn Mi Viejo San JuanTrío Vegabajeño’s voices make a farewell to San Juan feel like something a whole room can sing. Noel Estrada wrote the song after a request from his brother, who was stationed in Panama and missed Puerto Rico. Start here for the longing that runs through so many songs about the island.0
  2. 2PreciosaPreciosaMarc Anthony starts with room for Rafael Hernández’s melody and builds to a full-band declaration. Stay for the way his voice climbs as the song moves from praising Puerto Rico to insisting that affection survives away from home. The picture shows him bringing the same song to a San Juan stage with…0
  3. 3Lamento BorincanoLamento BorincanoA farmer goes to town hoping to sell what he has grown and comes home disappointed. Canario y Su Grupo’s early recording lets the bright melody survive even as the story turns. Listen for what it costs this man to keep hoping, an idea that a simple love song to the landscape couldn’t carry on its…0
  4. 4La PerlaLa PerlaCalle 13 and Rubén Blades introduce a San Juan neighborhood through the people who live there. The percussion from La Chilinga gives the place a heartbeat, and the voices leave room for pride along with an account of who gets overlooked. Start here for a view from street level.0
  5. 5Soñando Con Puerto RicoSoñando Con Puerto RicoBobby Capó’s bolero begins with distance and tries to close it in a dream. The gentle delivery keeps the wish to return intimate. Try this one when the idea of home has taken on a life of its own.0
  6. 6Verde LuzVerde LuzThe song puts a green light and the movement of the sea between its singer and a place that feels like home. El Topo sounds close enough to be singing beside you. The sea and the light carry feelings that would sound much more abstract if he simply named them.0
  7. 7Amanecer BorincanoAmanecer BorincanoAlberto Carrión’s song imagines the country waking up, with rural scenery and the possibility of starting over. Listen for the way the promise of a fresh start becomes part of the landscape itself.0
  8. 8El Alma de Puerto RicoEl Alma de Puerto RicoEcos de Borinquen take the soul of Puerto Rico as a subject for the seis tumbao. The rhythm makes the song move while the singer can linger on what the island’s people and traditions mean. Put it beside the salsa tracks to hear the different space afforded by the country ensemble.0
  9. 9La BorinqueñaLa BorinqueñaListen for Cheo Feliciano’s measured delivery over the Fania All-Stars’ marching drum, güiro, and vibes. Puerto Rico’s official anthem sounds ceremonial in their hands, with just enough of the band's own colors to make it worth hearing outside an official occasion.0
  10. 10Que Bonita BanderaQue Bonita BanderaRamito sings the flag’s praise as a refrain other voices can take up. Play it when you want to hear what a shared symbol sounds like when the rhythm stays in motion. The sense of belonging comes as much from the response to the lead as from the words themselves.0