Vicente Garcia Drops ‘Candela,’ Talks Dream Collab with Juan Luis Guerra [VIDEO]

The Dominican singer-songwriter, and three-time Latin GRAMMY award winner, Vicente García premieres Candela, his third studio album. Vicente notes that this record represents the culmination of his musical trilogy which began with Melodrama (2011) and continued with A la Mar (2016).  Candela is an eclectic and direct album that’s not afraid to go to extremes, challenging musical tropes but drawing from familiar elements.

As Garcia puts it: “People want to hear different music and I think this record accomplishes that, breaking from the monotony. I want people from outside the Dominican Republic to learn about different merengue styles in a universal context, mixed with African and electronic elements. Candela takes listeners to what I intend to create from now on as an artist, composer and producer. I feel like it completes an important cycle in my career, as this album is the culmination of a trilogy and the beginning of new stories.”  

The album’s first single was “Loma de Cayenas”, a collaboration with Juan Luis Guerra, the Dominican Republic’s most legendary singer-songwriter and also Vicente’s biggest influence. The song reached #1 on the monitorLATINO tropical-radio charts just days after its release as well as hit the Top 10 of Billboard‘s Tropical Airplay chart. 

Following this success, the title-track second single finds Vicente adding his personal stamp of creativity and inspiration to traditional merengue. “’Candela’ is done in the ‘merengue de palo’ style, but using a Cuban tres guitar where the piano licks would normally go, and a Farfisa organ instead of the customary brass instruments,” he explains.

His thought-provoking lyrics speak of an on-again, off-again relationship and the feelings caused by its fleeting nature.  On Friday, May 17, Vicente released the third single, “Ahí Ahí.” In Dominican slang, the title means “more or less.” This fusion of bachata, trap and electronica tells the story of a love that comes and goes, that sometimes simmers on the back burner, yet stands the test of time.

“On ‘Ahí Ahí,’ the güira (metal scraper) converses with trap music’s trademark high-hat sound. Meanwhile, there’s interplay between bachata-styled guitars and synths that recall such artists as James Blake, Bon Iver or Drake. It also has Zulu choruses, influenced by the world music of Paul Simon and Juan Luis Guerra. In essence, I feel like this fusion builds upon previous bachata experiments that I’ve released such as ‘Bachata en Kingston,’” he comments. 

Consisting of 15 tracks, Candela comprehensively expresses Vicente’s artistic vision. “Detrás del Horizonte” and “Lo Que Más Extrañas,” are two songs that pick up from the ideas first referenced in Melodrama and A La Mar, but with a fresh and risk-taking outlook. Just as Vicente used bachata as his jumping-off point in A La Mar, he does the same with merengue on new songs like “Candela,” “Loma de Cayenas,” “Merengue de Enramada” and “Un Conuco y una Flor.” He adds strong currents of electronica on “Guatú” and “Maguá,” as well as “Palm Beach,” Vicente’s first song in English. In addition to his envelope-pushing material, Vicente has also recorded crowd-pleasers that provoke instant sing-alongs, such as “San Bá” and “Ahí Ahí.” An unforgettable and symbolic track, “Contracanto” closes out Candela and the trilogy itself, building a bridge to what is to come next. 

Vicente García’s revamped live show is an audiovisual experience that takes attendees on a trip where the music is in perfect harmony with the visuals and lighting, and the stage comes alive with talented musicians and vibrant performances. “We have prepared a much more energetic show that’s inspired by the songs of Candela, which in essence are merengue fusions. And we’re performing the best-known songs from my previous two albums, A la Mar and Melodrama.” After recently launching his tour in the United States, he is preparing to take his show on the road, around the world.

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