Dominican Republic

A mixture of mambo with R&B, pop, and big band jazz, "La Llave de Mi Corazón" is indicative of Juan Luis Guerra's desire to stretch the stylistic conventions of Latin music. During the past decade, the Dominican Republic's "country music," bachata, became one of the hottest Latin genres thanks to huge dancefloor hits by Aventura and Monchy & Alexandra.

At its best, merengue can take your breath away with its frantic tambora breaks and fully contagious sax riffs. "Papá Bocó" by singer Amarfis exemplifies its electrifying qualities. Bandleader Johnny Pacheco grew up on a steady diet of Cuban radio - an influence used to maximum effect on the swinging "Dakar Punto Final."

A singer/songwriter blessed with a wicked sense of humor, Blas Durán was one of the first Dominican artists to blend merengue with elements of hip-hop. Bachata group Xtreme goes pop on "Adónde Se Fue?". Veteran merenguero Johnny Ventura explores a wide spectrum of Afro-Cuban sounds on "Guajira con Soul."

It may be a tiny nation, but the Dominican Republic conquered the heart of Latin America with two highly infectious genres: merengue and bachata. This compilation of brand new hits and durable classics pays tribute to Dominican culture with tracks by artists like Juan Luis Guerra — bachata modernizer and jazzy poet — and Johnny Pacheco — salsa legend and Cuban music aficionado. Fans of artists like Aventura, Kinito Méndez, and Wilfredo Vargas are too in for a treat.