Vicente García: Riding the wave of superior Caribbean music

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Six years since the release of his debut album Melodrama, Dominican musician Vicente Garcia comes now riding the wave of superior Caribbean music with a second collection, "A la Mar" ("To the Sea"), produced by Eduardo Cabra, better known as El Visitante from the multi-Grammy winner Calle 13 band.

"A la Mar" includes 12 songs and two interludes incorporating popular and folkloric music from the Dominican Republic. It was produced after an extensive trip throughout the Caribbean country to exchange and directly experience local musical expressions, Garcia said.

The collection exudes influences from Dominican bachata and classic Cuban son, as well as Haitian and Colombian coastal folkloric airs, reggae and gagá, all packaged in a contemporary and elegant world music flair.

"The album is like sailing to the Caribbean, and each song is a photo of the voyage," said Garcia in a documentary about the album.

The first single, "Carmesí," has over 6 million clicks on YouTube since it was released for some Latin American markets last year.

Before becoming a solo artist, Garcia was the lead singer of the Dominican award-winning alternative band, Calor Urbano. Besides being singer and songwriter, Garcia plays guitar, piano and percussions, among other instruments.

Olivia.Tallet@chron.com

Twitter: @oliviaptallet