Candela

Following on from his breakthrough A La Mar, Vicente García shows real pop craft in ploughing the furrows of his home turf, alternating between the smooth sounds of bachata and the speedier get-on-your-feet refrains of merengue. It's quintessentially Dominican Republican but with the assistance of co-producer Eduardo Cabra (Calle 13), who pushes these traditional forms into new shapes, and some catchy hooks, García manages to stand out from the crowd. Of course, having Juan Luis Guerra on first single, ‘Loma de Cayenas’, helps with that too, and it's one of the album's stand-outs, a joyful merengue full of rapid-fire vocals, excitable sax squeals and West African guitar licks. With its Zulu-inspired vocal bridge, it's also one of the reasons why Paul Simon is often cited as an influence on García's sound. It's a comparison that wouldn't be possible if García wasn't a master at generating earworms, which he undoubtedly is; ‘Ahí Ahí’ and the effortlessly-cool ‘San Bá’ are other notable examples.

Throughout, the addition of electronic drums and synths shows how the album is moving away from traditional Dominican genre norms. Drops, purposeful pauses and breaks in the music add dynamism and push it towards a more mainstream, though no less pleasant, sound.