By Julienne GageAmericans who still think of Latin music as mariachi bands and
gyrating Ricky Martins and Shakiras might want to lend a closer ear to
the genre. This country's Hispanic population isn't just growing, it's
growing more diverse. More and more unique musical styles are being
gobbled up, and that should come as good news to alternative gringos
hoping to spruce up their castellano. This year's Latin-music
highlights come from all over the Spanish-speaking map. We'll start in
the farth