1.The Buena Vista Social Club -Live At Carnegie Hall
2. Omara Portuondo-Gracia
3. Candido Y Su Movimiento - Palos De Fuego
4. Willie Colon- El Malo Vol. II: Prisioneros Del Mambo
5. Jose Lugo-Guasabara
6.Tabaco Y Su Metales-Grandes Exitos
7. Pachapo-El Super Tumbao
8. Tony Rojas-Introducing Tony Rojas
9. The Buena Vista Social Club-S/T
10. Bebo Valdes/Javier Colina - Live At The Village Vanguard

Once again The Buena Vista Social Club franchise ruled the Christmas charts, coming in at number one, two and nine. Live At Carnegie Hall is the full concert that you see towards the end of the Buena Vista Social Club movie. Omara Portuondo's latest came with much hype from NPR, which fueled her sales.  The Buena Vista Social Club is usually a safe bet at Christmas time.The movie was a great and all the stories behind the musicians involved are quite triumphant. However, if you want something a little more modern, there are releases from Willie Colon and pianist Jose Lugo (not to be confused with the Seattle Mairiner pitcher with the same name), which round off the top five. Colon’s El Malo Vol. II: Prisioneros Del Mambo is Willie’s first album in eleven years and Jose Lugo's effort has many special guests from Bobby Valentin to Gilberto Santa Rosa. Fans of modern day Hard Salsa should love this.

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As the days get closer to Christmas, record labels start pushing all their potential moneymakers to the forefront. Sometimes quality releases go unnoticed in the avalanche of greatest hits and blockbuster releases. Here is a reminder of some releases that you can find in our Latin Rock & Pop section for yourself and for future gifts for Christmas.

Aterciopelados' newest release, Rio, is their most focused release since 2001's classic, Gozo Poderoso. Filled with melodic vocals and soft Latin electronica beats, Aterciopelados explores their Colombian hippie side without sounding contrived. Life and the environment are the central themes of this album that link each song with the sound of a river flowing, rio/river...get it? Click here to watch a song from their Amoeba instore.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela, the surprise Flamenco hit of 2006, return with Live In Tokyo. Fans of the brother/sister duo claim that their strength comes from their live performances, including many Amoebites who witnessed their in store performance at Amoeba Hollywood two years ago. The release includes a DVD and a few new tunes for you to play air guitar to.