A delightful and insightful look into the Latin music industry spanning five decades worth of history from the early 1970s covering its rise to popularity, resonating beyond niche markets, and becoming part of the pop culture mainstream and our contemporary social constructs.@leilacobo, a pianist, novelist, journalist, TV host and executive editor for Latin content and programming for Billboard, delivers a rigorous and carefully constructed historical outline using 19 songs as its vehicle, each becoming a stepping stone in the fabric of the Latin music’s industry.As we read through the book and listened to each of the songs (something which we highly recommend), we found a much larger sense of appreciation, thanks to Cobo’s technical insights into the tunes, arrangements, and melodic quality, as well as the carefully outlined backstories that provided the appropriate context to better understand their origins and what made them so unique.Decoding Despacito is a history lesson on what makes Latin music so fascinating. Each of the songs representing a major milestone towards becoming familiar sounds in the mainstream. These were songs that served as flag bearers for the Latin culture, written by pioneers and innovators, sometimes staying dormant for years until finding their voice.The book presents a unique perspective of each of those who fought to bring the song to life and into the market; songwriters, artists vocalists, producers, arrangers, spouses, and the anonymous stories that inspired some of the lyrics. The beautiful and poetic narrative full of colorful and rich stories are evidence of Cobo’s mastery as a seasoned storyteller and her extensive knowledge of the music industry. It all makes for a beautifully written, timeless, and extremely relevant read.Highly recommended.

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