Mo Vida
Mo' Vida!charts a course along the cutting edge of  Latin music, but what makes it so fascinating is that much of it  doesn't originate in Latin countries.Ricardo Lemvo,  from the Republic of Congo, now  a resident in the United States, offers some reggae-inflected hip-hop.King  Changówas born in Venezuela, but his home is in New York,  and three of the artists here, includingSergent  García, are from France. It doesn't mean real Latin music is  unadventurous by any means. Cuba's Orishas have the best hip-hop track  on the album with "Represent," and Xiomara Fortuna, from the tiny  Dominican Republic, catches a wonderful reggae groove on "Juana la  Loca" while keeping some exquisite polyrhythms going. What it boils  down to is that the world is becoming one musical melting pot with  everybody drawing from--and adding to--the music that moves them. Latin  music means far more than salsa or rumba these days, and, as this shows  in grand style, far more than the pristine Latin pop ofRicky Martin.  Welcome to the 21st century, Latin style.--Chris Nickson