Salsa Boricua

Quintessential boricua crooner Cheo Feliciano fuses salsa flavor with a social conscience on "Los Entierros," an anthem about the funerals of working class people. By including a Puerto Rican aguinaldo at the tail end of the epic "Panameña," Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe revolutionized the genre with a statement of boricua pride.

Sophisticated tropical jams such as "El Progreso" and "Guaguancó Del Adiós" showcase the progressive touch of Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader Roberto Roena. An ode to women, El Gran Combo's "Azuquita Pa'l Café" is elegant and jazzy. Cheo Feliciano's "Anacaona" is one of salsa's greatest hits.

An underrated genius, the late Mon Rivera was one of the pioneers of the trombone-heavy format known as trombanga. A number of Puerto Rican singers attempted to launch a solo career after gaining fame recording for the Fania label with New York bandleaders. Adalberto Santiago, Tito Allen, and Vitín Avilés are some of them.

From illustrious orchestras like El Gran Combo and La Sonora Ponceña to progressive Nuyorican bandleaders such as Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, and the Palmieri brothers, the influence of la isla del encanto on the salsa genre cannot be overestimated. Establishing a fruitful dialogue between the island and New York and aided by the marketing genius of the Fania label, Puerto Rican salsa flourished during the '70s through the transcendental recordings included in this definitive list.