LATIN PULSE : For Celia Cruz, Will 52nd Time Be the Charm?

Step aside, quebraditas , at least for this edition of Latin Pulse. Salsa is gradually recovering its momentum of the mid-’70s, and you can tell it in the growing number of salsa clubs throughout Los Angeles.

This survey of noteworthy recent Latin pop albums includes the latest works by both “The Queen of Salsa” and the aspiring “Queen of Merengue,” as well as the more traditional Afro-Cuban sounds of Conjunto Cespedes. Northern Mexico is represented by the new nortenas of the kings of the genre, one of Mexico’s most beloved quintets.

* * * Celia Cruz, “Azucar negra,” RMM/Sony. For more than 40 years, Cruz has been the undisputed “Reina de la Salsa”--”Queen of Latin Music”--and the personification of what Afro-Cuban music is all about: a fierce blend of passionate vocals, Spanish- and French-derived music and African-rooted rhythms. But in a career that began in the ‘50s, Cruz has never had a No. 1 Latin album in the United States.

“Black Sugar,” her 52nd album and first with the RMM label, was obviously produced with that in mind. Though representative of Cruz’s well-known style, it allows room for a more pop-oriented presence--for example, a drum machine on one cut and a version of “Cruz de Navajas,” a song popularized by Spain’s pop sensation Mecano. Gloria Estefan and Jon Secada chip in with background vocals in “Sazon,” written by Estefan and her husband, Emilio.

The result might not please some purists, but Cruz sounds as inspired as ever, and this is a promising beginning to her association with the premier Latino record label.

* * * 1/2 Conjunto Cespedes, “Una sola casa,” Green Linnet/Xenophile. Led by singer Bobi Cespedes (who is often likened to a young Celia Cruz) and her nephew Guillermo Cespedes, the San Francisco-based, 12-piece ensemble might be the Bay Area’s best-kept secret. This album, encompassing virtually all areas of Afro-Cuban sounds, is one of the year’s best in the style.

But the Conjunto Cespedes is a rarity among U.S.-based Cuban bands: It draws with equal intensity on both traditional Cuban music and the revolutionary Nueva Trova movement, and even dares to include lyrics by Afro-Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen about black Cubans benefiting from Communist rule. That might cost the Conjunto support here, but it reflects the kind of uncompromising attitude that is far too rare in pop music.

The most important thing: The Cespedeses also write their own songs, and the whole ensemble plays as well as any major combo.

* * * Los Tigres del Norte, “La Garra de Los Tigres del Norte,” Fonovisa. When the five Hernandez brothers moved from Sinaloa, Mexico, to San Jose in the late ‘60s, they began playing their nortenas in restaurants for 25 cents a song. Two decades later, and after 24 enjoyable records and eight forgettable movies, Los Tigres del Norte (The Tigers of the North) not only are the kings of Mexican northern music, but also rank among that country’s most popular authentic pop idols.

“The Claws of Los Tigres . . . “ marks a return to the group’s earlier productions, recorded live and simply in the studio, with the intention of making the record sound as close as possible to the brothers’ show-stopping live appearances. This is another fun and catchy album by a group whose sole mission is to keep alive--and improve--the nortena tradition.

* * 1/2 Olga Tanon, “Mujer de Fuego,” WEA Latina. This album, the Puerto Rican singer’s second, is supposed to be the one to bring her international recognition. But Tanon’s curse is one shared by countless merengue artists in the Caribbean: Her music sounds too much like that of Juan Luis Guerra, without the originality and passion to compete with it. Helped by the presence of some members of Guerra’s production team, the dance-minded record has its good moments, but there are not enough for Tanon to be heralded as a major talent.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).