Sound Check

Critics describe Cuban singer Omara Portuondo’s voice as deep, sultry, expressive, compassionate and heavenly. And they’re not exaggerating, as evidenced by her latest album, Gracias, for which she won a Latin Grammy last year.

Heading to Austin in March for South by Southwest (SXSW)? This is the music fest’s 24th year, which means it’s bound to be a big ol’ party. A partial list of performers went out this week and it includes a respectable number of Latin acts. Here’s a quick crib sheet:

Amaral (Madrid, Spain) is a folk rock duo with a huge following in Spain. So far, they’ve released five successful albums but have never made a significant dent in the states. But that may change with this showcase.

The glass is always half full for Chayanne. The Puerto Rican balladeer’s upcoming album is titled Nada Es Imposible (out Feb. 23) and it’s all about hope and optimism. “There are people who are living very difficult situations these days, people who are having a bad time, the message I want to share with this new work is that we must keep fighting and working without losing our dreams, and that nothing is impossible,” he recently said.

It’s been a decade since original guitar hero Carlos Santana took home nine Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, for Supernatural. The disc featured unforgettable collaborations with Maná ("Corazón Espinado"), Rob Thomas ("Smooth"), Wyclef Jean ("Maria Maria") and other artists. It also reignited the 62-year-old Mexican rocker’s career and introduced him to a whole generation of listeners that were born well after Woodstock.

Aventura is in the midst of a sold-out four-show run at Madison Square Garden. Tonight is their final concert in support of their fifth album, The Last. What can we expect? So far, the fans have been treated to surprise guests like Marc Anthony, Akon and Wisin & Yandel.

“Nos ganamos el Grammy gringo!” announced Calle 13 on the group’s Twitter page hours before the Grammy Awards aired yesterday. The Puerto Ricans walked away with the trophy for (the all-encompassing category) Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album for their album Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo at the non-telecast portion of the ceremony. No big surprise there as the duo swept the 2009 Latin Grammy Awards last year with the same globally aware disc.