Singer/songwriter
Diego Garcia spent time fronting the New York City-based alt-rock band
Elefant before going solo with his 2011 debut, Laura. Inspired by his wife, that album showcased
Garcia's romantic, melodic, '60s folk-pop-influenced sound that brings to mind such touchstones as
Donovan,
Serge Gainsbourg, and
Nick Drake.
Garcia's similarly inclined sophomore album, 2013's
Paradise, is an equally romantic and melodically generous collection of songs. It would be too easy to say that, if Laura was all about
Garcia's journey to win back and ultimately marry the love of his life, then
Paradise is the sweet afterglow of their life together; there is a lightness and breeziness about
Paradise that seems to speak to his contented, romantic bliss. On the opening track, the jubilant "Start with the End,"
Garcia sings, "Beginning again/A new life on the rise/Let's make it a point to remember/To live the joy in our lives." Similarly, cuts like the buoyant "She Dances" and "Sunnier Days" are thrilling, goosebump-inducing odes to fidelity and attraction. While one wouldn't strictly characterize
Garcia's music as Latin pop, he definitely incorporates enough melodic and rhythmic elements from flamenco and tango on
Paradise (even singing in Spanish on "Donde Estas") to put him well within the grand tradition of such Latin troubadours as
José Feliciano,
Piero, and
Sandro. And while
Garcia has settled comfortably into a warm, analog-sounding production style that harkens back to the studio sounds of the '60s and '70s,
Paradise proves that his albums are never museum pieces. Striking such a beautiful balance between his old-fashioned and contemporary influences, the record brims with both honesty and style -- a charming and rare combination. ~ Matt Collar