1998 was a great year for music, it gave us one of Shakira´s most iconic albums. We show you what else happened that year in the music industry

A week ago, where are the thieves? (¿Dónde están los ladrones?) Turned 20 years of being released.  Without a doubt, this, the second studio album by Shakira, marked the career of the Colombian singer. Although it is usually thought that the singer reached world fame for her successes in English, the truth is that the internalization of Latin pop and rock in Spanish came from before and was already a fact at that time. This album, for example, was the most sold Spanish album in the United States in 1998. Another example of this are the successes that we present here, since Latin America has been playing the ears of the world for more than 20 years.

Leer en español: Esto es lo que escuchábamos en 1998: 20 años de ¿Dónde están los ladrones?

Bersuit Garabat, Libertinage

This album gave international fame to the Argentine band. He was famous for his political lyrics and criticized by the followers of the government of then-President Carlos Menem. The song "Mr. Cobranza" was censored by the Federal Broadcasting Committee due to personal insults to certain politicians. "Yo tomo" (I take) is a success that they still sing at parties around Latin America.

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Fey, The color of dreams (El color de los sueños)

This is the third album of the singer of the famous "Bitter Sugar". His first single, "Ni tú ni nadie" (Neither you nor anyone), was so successful in Chile (on the other side of the continent, almost opposite to Mexico, where the singer is from), that a Chilean ballad version had to be recorded.

Fito Páez and Joaquín Sabina, Intimate Enemies (Enemigos íntimos)

The Spanish singer-songwriter launches his first collaborative album and decides to do it with the Argentinean Fito Páez. This disc sold 100.000 copies and helped Páez to reach popularity in Spain because the use of the expression "to rain on wet" in the single "It rains on wet" was pleasantly received by the Spanish public. The title seems to reflect the relationship between the artists because due to irreconcilable differences they had to cancel a tour that had been programmed.

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Celia Cruz, My life is singing (MI vida es cantar)

The already classic Cuban launched in 1998 his album My Life is singing, in which is his success "Life is a carnival." It is the last track of the album and is recognized for its optimistic theme and the taste of Caribbean rhythms. It is also a sample of the diversity of Latin American music in the 1990s, as it is very different from the rest of the albums on this list. While in Argentina there were political issues and rock in Spanish, in the Caribbean we sang to live to the sound of salsa. There is something for everyone!

Honorable mentions

These are other albums that turn 20 and that are worth remembering.

• Almafuerte (Argentina), Almafuerte (heavy metal)
• Chayanne (Puerto Rico), Tied to your love ( Atado a tu amor, romantic ballad, Latin pop)
• Edith Márquez (Mexico), Frente a ti (ranchera, bolero)
• José José (Mexico), Distance and Y something else (Distancia y Y algo más, ballad, bolero)
• Kapanga (Argentina), The watchmaker monkey (El mono relojero, ska, rock)
• The law (Chile), Vertigo (rock)
• Libido (Peru), Libido (rock)
• Miguel Mateos (Argentina), Bar Imperio (rock)
• Roberto Carlos (Brazil), Eu te amo tanto (Brazilian popular music)
• Servando y Florentino (Venezuela), The first (Latin pop)

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Rodríguez Pabón

Translated from: 'Esto es lo que escuchábamos en 1998: 20 años de ¿Dónde están los ladrones? '

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