Best Non-English Album

MC Solaar (French): Prose Combat and Paradisiaque

Ruben Gonzales (Cuban): Self titled

Noel McLaughlan (Scottish): Best Of -- this only half counts because a lot is English, other is Gaelic, and other is Scottish made up language (like didnay for didn't, etc..)

Various French folk-type songs such as le Deserteur.

The Ex: Spain, 1936. They are not Spanish, but half of the album is because they rework Spanish Civil War songs.

There are more but I do not want to list them...

 

I used to live in Norway, so these two bring back memories:

<a href="http://www.dagsland.no/">Sigvart Dagsland -- Alt eg Sag</a>
<a href="http://home.online.no/~brotmo/plater/Bjorn_Afzelius_plater.htm">Bjorn Afzelius -- Tusen Bitar</a>

 

Varttina - Kokko from Finland.

I thought it was Japanese when I heard it on the radio late one night. It was like 6 months later that I heard it again and they announced who the group was. I don't have any idea if they are popular in Finland, but I like it. The women do all of the singing and there are lots of harmonies. Kinda like a folk ABBA (I'm sure they would hate that pathetic excuse for a description). Interesting instrumention too.

 

Nena-99 luftballons.

 

I could probably list 100 Latin records but, I'd have to choose...

<a href="http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1557555904/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/artistid=BLADES*RUBEN/itemid=321292">Ruben Blades Live</a> - one of the finest salsa albums ever made. Blades (pronounced BLAH-dace in Latin America) isn't only a singer and actor (remember him in Predator 2???), but a politician who actually ran for president of Panama.

Anything by <a href="http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1557555904/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/ArtistID=JOBIM*ANTONIO+CARLOS">Antonio Carlos Jobim</a>- Brazil - he popularized the bossa nova and started the craze of the 50's and 60's - known for One Note Samba and Girl from Impanema. By the way, the late great jazz saxaphonist Joe Henderson did a tremendous recording of Jobim's songs called Double Rainbow. Worth a listen.

Basically, pick up anything popular from Brazil, Central America, Cuba, central Africa or South Africa and you will have some pretty cool stuff.

 

Control Machete
Purty damn good Mexican hip hop. They played their stuff on the movie Amores Perros, purty damn good movie too!

 

Bombay from India

 

almost anything from Luis Miguel, including my current favorite...Romances vol. 1 & 2.

Shakira's great, too.

Ricky Martin's last great album (not so coincidentally his last all Spanish album) was OUTSTANDING - A Medio Vivir.

 

Non english Album?...Hmm...I like Fruity Pebbles, too.