Well, recommending anything like CDs is dangerous at the best of times, everyone s tastes differ.  But for novices .. A minefield!

My first suggestion is: never buy a CD with a scantily clad young lady on the cover - that tends to be the best part of the CD.  Believe me, I know, I ve got loads of them!

Salsa, like many things in life, is better when you start off slowly and gradually get faster.  So my recommendations to novices are generally of slower tempos.  I m not going to write reams about these CDs, there are plenty of comments online.  I m just going to point you in the right direction just follow the links.

It may seem logical to jump straight to Cuba but my first recommendation is from Africa, Senegal to be precise.  Where would teachers be without Africando? All their albums are excellent and have a cross-section of tempos.  All have distinct, clear rhythms and the slower tracks are great for novices.

Check out Mandali or Martina (opens in same window).

Then perhaps something with a Cuban influence.  Cuban compilations usually include Son, which novices may consider to be just slow salsa (wrongly as it happens but don’t worry about it), plus some cha-cha, all of which are easy listening.  This compilation, The Beginner’s Guide to Cuba,  has 3 CDs and is great value.   

Good general salsa compilations are I Love Salsa and More I love Salsa.