When I started this friendly little Challenge in 2010 with around 100 other bloggers assembled in about a week's time, I don't think any of us thought it would still be going ten years later. But here we are still going strong! So to kick off my A to Z posts I offer A as in "Arlee" (that's me!). If you haven't read the A to Z story you can find it here.
Actually this first post is merely my introduction to me. All of the April posts will be essentially about Arlee to some extent. Something those who follow this blog already know is that I like music a lot and because of that my primary activity on this blog in the past couple years has been the Battle of the Bands posts. That's how I'm kicking off this month (and every month on the 1st). I hope you'll be willing to play along. This post and the one on April 15th will be the only ones during the month that will feature music videos so don't be scared off by what's happening here today if you don't like listening to music videos.
I hope you play along and enjoy the songs...
Battle of the Bands
Two Hot Latina Favorites
In addition to music, I also have a great admiration for women. I am especially fond of Latinas. Now, to keep myself out of trouble in the improbable event that my wife is reading this, I should state here that my absolute favorita hot Latina is my wife, Betty, who is from Ecuador. I think she won't mind my musical crushes on the artists I'm featuring in this Battle. I'm a fan of the music of both of these lovely singers and I hope you'll enjoy hearing their music as well. If for some reason the embedded videos don't work, you can click on the song titles in the headers of the two selections to find alternate versions of the song. Take a listen and let us know your favorite...
Alicia Villarreal "Capricho Loco" (2000)
This artist was the lead singer of Grupo Límite, a Norteño style band, before departing on a solo career singing primarily in the Ranchera,style. I first saw Alicia and the Grupo on some concert show on Spanish language television station back around 1998. I fell in love with her immediately-- (and the group's sound).
I particularly like this song "Capricho Loco." The structure of the song is interesting to my musical perception. Then there is that flow of the melody with the percussive punches throughout. In a sense--to me at least--this is almost a perfectly constructed song extremely well executed in accordance to its genre. I love it, but see what you think...
Thalia "Sangre" (1992)
This Mexican pop music artist is literally star of stage, screen, and television. She's one of the most well-known stars of telenovelas (Spanish soap operas) and has appeared in a number of films and television shows. In 2000 she married Tommy Mottola, a music executive who had previously been married to Mariah Carey. She remains active in the entertainment business.
I used to hear Thalia's "Sangre" often when I started listening to Spanish pop stations in L.A. back around 1996. The song haunted me for a long time before I finally discovered who sang it. The following is a video version that I've been listening to for a long time and still haven't tired of it...
Time to Vote!
This is a tough choice for me because I like both artists a lot and these are two of my favorite songs. But I'm going to vote for one of these as my preference. What about you?--Vote for your favorite version! Have some fun with us. What's your favorite between these two choices? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:
StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'
'Curious as a Cathy'
Sound of One Hand Typing
Angel's Bark
Debbie Doglady's Den
Jingle, Jangle, Jungle
Cherdo on the Flipside
A I Love Music
Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday April 8
There will be posts every day (except Sunday) until next Monday so I hope you can stop by for at least a few of them. But by all means come back to see which artist won this round of Battle of the Bands.
Are you a fan of Spanish language music? Do you ever listen to popular modern music that is sung in a language other than English? When did you start blogging?
