Music: A new generation of Latin sensation

"Whenever, wherever" is out. Things have changed. J. Lo's been over-exposed like those sunbathing French harlots, and Enrique's mole has been disowned like those oilbathing Frenchie fries. Alas, there will be no more "shake your bon-bons."

Instead, the latest infusion of Latin crossover success has arrived on your radio and thankfully, it's not the "Livin' La Vida Loca" of yester-decade.

"She reminds me of a Westside story/ growing up in Spanish Harlem/ she's livin' her life just like a movie star." A Santana song about a certain Maria, it could easily apply to Puerto Rican chanteuse Lumidee. Indeed, her Diwali-infected "Never Leave You" has captured the airwaves. Fittingly, its video pays homage to her Harlem in a way that other R & B darlings (i.e. Xtina) could never affect. She's real and her breakthrough LP, Almost Famous, proves it. Expertly-produced, the album showcases her vocal agility, as she alternately croons and raps over Caribbean-tinged club beats and hip-hop rhythms.

Rivaling the "uh-oh" chorus of "Never Leave You," the most catchy stringing-together-of-words this season has got to be "suga suga, how you get so flyyy" from Baby Bash's rising Top 40 hit "Suga Suga." His album, Tha Smokin' Nephew, is a catchy mix of vibrant hooks, vocals reminiscent of rapper Krayzie Bone and Bash's incredible flow, which manages to allude to "La Cucaracha," Robert DeNiro and the ozone layer. Tex-Mex rap doesn't get any better than this; the growls and rhythms of this self-proclaimed "ghetto Socrates" are some of the more stylistically-distinctive tracks out at the moment.

In contrast, there's the second-rate Jenny-from-the-block, Thalia--at least that's the feeling that you'll get off her self-titled English release that ignites with the Fat Joe-assisted single, "I Want You." It's an incorrect comparison, however, seeing as Thalia has established herself as the original urban/dance-pop diva with her first full-length in 1995. And boy, does she strut her stuff here, singing full-throttle ballads, girl-been-wronged anthems and digitally-bumpin' tracks, where her new material really sparkles. "Don't Look Back" and her sultry cover of "You Spin Me 'Round (Like A Record)" easily spark a new comparison: she's the Mexicana Material Girl.

While Thalia may embrace Madonna à la Britney, Los Lonely Boys embrace the spirit and soul of roots-rock pioneers such as Willie Nelson, who cameos on their debut, Lonely Boys. Along with the rock focus, traces of Tex-Mex and R & B grooves lurk beneath the album's surface; their style is all their own. While they've not broken onto the Clear Channel playlists yet, their heartbroken lyricism, Spanglish and Texan drawl have garnered them some of the best critical praise all year.

Hopefully, as the "Latin crossover" movement continues to evolve and morph, radio will remain open to these new musicians. The aforementioned acts more than anything represent the changing face of America. But if you miss the Latin-pop of yore, the new Enrique and Paulina LPs drop at the end of the month. I can be your hero, baby.