Colombian vocalist Juanes added more statues to his mantel with three wins during last night’s (Nov. 3) Latin Grammy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Juanes, who was the all-time leader with nine wins going into this year’s event, took home awards for best rock solo vocal album for “Mi Sangre,” best rock song for “Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor” and best music video for “Volverte a Ver.”
Alejandro Sanz’s “Tu No Tienes Alma,” a number from the Spanish singer’s compilation “Grandes Exitos 91-04,” was named song of the year, edging “Malo,” Spanish singer-songwriter Bebe’s hard-hitting track about domestic abuse. The track also was named record in year, collecting honors for Sanz, co-producer Lulo Perez and his team of three engineers.
Prevailing in a strong field of young talent, Brazilian carioca singer-songwriter Ivan Lins, a 35-year veteran, was the album of the year winner for “Cantando Historias.”
The magnetic Bebe, the year’s leading nominee with five nods, was named best new artist. Tejano group Intocable’s “Diez” won as best norteno album, while its single “Aire” was named best regional Mexican song.
New York-spawned singing star Marc Anthony, up for three awards, captured the best salsa album award for “Valio la Pena.” New Jersey-bred Puerto Rican vocalist Obie Bermudez nosed Anthony out in the best male pop vocal album category, winning for “Todo el Ano.”
The 2005 Latin Grammys saluted winners in 43 categories covering a wide spread of styles and subgenres, including rock, pop, jazz, folk, banda, samba, tango, flamenco, Christian and classical, many of which were showcased on the three-hour Univision broadcast.
Among the few winners in attendance at the afternoon pre-telecast ceremony were two Cuban titans, octogenarian pianist Bebo Valdes (best Latin jazz album) and bassist Cachao (best traditional tropical album). Cachao was accompanied backstage by actor Andy Garcia, who directed a 1993 documentary about the musician. The pair was featured in the telecast’s highlight, an all-star Cuban jam (with Garcia on bongos).
The genre-hopping Los Angeles act Ozomatli, which won a best Latin rock/alternative album Grammy for “Street Signs” earlier this year, repeated the feat at the Latin Grammys, taking best alternative music album.
Producer of the year was Gustavo Santaolalla, honored for his work on eight albums, including his soundtrack for “The Motorcycle Diaries,” the film that included this year’s Oscar-winning song, Jorge Drexler’s “Al Otro Lado del Rio.”
This year’s Latin Grammys ceremony was positioned by the Latin Recording Academy as a coming-of-age party of sorts. After running for five years on CBS to declining ratings, the televised show moved to top Latin network Univision this year and for the first time, honored performers accepted their awards in their native tongues.
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