It ain"t all sultry bon-bon shakers and mambo kings. Escena Alterlatina: The Future Sound in Español offers alt-Latin lovers something to sink their teeth into besides the usual refried pop. Featuring everything from the mariachi hip-hop of East L.A."s Delinquent Habits to the ska-lypso grooves of Panama"s Los Rabanes and the nor-teco drum & bass of Mexico"s Kinky, each act on this compilation exudes youthful street-edged vibrancy. With Escena Alterlatina"s stompin" beats and variety of electro-acoustic textures, a genre once loosely defined as roc-en-español is rising from the underground and evolving into an outlaw border-skipping sonic force. With great songs from a hemispheric cross-section of performers including Mexican diva Julieta Venegas ("Me Van a Matar"), Argentina"s Santos Inocentes ("Desaparecedor"), and the SF Mission"s own Santana-with-snot Los Mocosos ("Caliente"), ace publicist Josh Norek and Miles Copeland of Ark21 Records produced this 14-track collection in hopes of exposing English speakers to a brave new world of música buena. They believe in it so much they"ve stamped it with a money-back guarantee. --Jesse "Chuy" Varela