Outstanding Efforts Produce a Field That’s Crowded and Confused

Considering that 1999 was a remarkable year in Latin music, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the competition is especially tough in the field’s seven categories. The problem is that some of the key albums have been placed in the wrong genre.

The record that clearly deserves to win a Latin pop Grammy, for instance, is Carlos Vives’ “El Amor de mi Tierra.” But the Colombian singer’s frothy collection of vallenato-inflected pop was wrongly lumped in with artists such as Tito Puente in the traditional tropical area.

Of the Latin pop nominees, Juan Luis Guerra’s poetic bachata-fest “Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual” deserves to win, but the award will probably go to academy favorite Ruben Blades and his lackluster “Tiempos.” The voters do earn a pat on the back for finally placing the hugely popular Mana in the right category. Until now the Mexican group was wrongly thought of as a rock en espan~ol outfit.

The Latin rock category has its share of clunkers, namely Enanitos Verdes and the Chris Perez Band. But the other three are formidable opponents. The daring vision of Cafe Tacuba’s double set “Reves/Yosoy” should guarantee the Mexican quartet a Grammy. Still, it wouldn’t be terribly unfair if Jaguares’ mysticism-drenched “Bajo el Azul de tu Misterio” emerged victorious, or if Fabulosos Cadillacs received their second Grammy for the retro charm of “La Marcha del Golazo Solitario.”

Unless Vives gets the award in the wrong category, the traditional tropical category should see the acclaimed solo album by Buena Vista Social Club member Ibrahim Ferrer win. A sloppier salsa category has only one worthy nominee, Oscar D’Leon, but it is highly unlikely that his artistry will be recognized. In the Mexican American category, Vicente Fernandez’s seamlessly produced homage to vocal group Los Dandys deserves to win.