Can't Stop
Some bands have an incredibly broad set of musical genres. Ozomatli is certainly one of those bands. The Los Angeles-based group, which has been named a U.S. Department of State Cultural Ambassador, has written songs belonging to a variety of musical genres: hip hop, salsa, cumbia, samba, funk, merengue, Jamaican ragga and others. Many of the genres are Latin genres, which has become increasingly popular in the United States.
The song Can’t Stop models the type of Latin music that you often hear on American radio stations. The song has influences of both salsa and rock, and combines rhythms from the two genres. With a special touch of Latin vibe, it’s hard to listen to the song and not want to dance along. And once you start dancing, you simply Can’t Stop, as the song title indicates. The song title applies both to the powerful rhythm of the song as well as the message of the song itself. Ozomatli wants listeners to know that we need to believe in the power of love and think positively about the future. In other words, we can’t stop believing and should not look back. The future is ahead of us.
American Rhythms
The Sing Out Loud American Rhythms CD includes a variety of musical genres from many different artists in the U.S.A. These songs will appeal to teens and young adults. This "hybrid" CD also contains a teacher's guide to using music in the classroom.