Review: Elsten Torres’ Vice Versa album
I just streamed Elston Torres’ new bilingual album Vice Versa, and I LOVE IT. It is so happy!
I have often referred to the Cuban-born, Miami-based Torres as the “King of Love Songs” because of his beautiful songs “Closer Tonight” and “A Perfect World” have been in my playlist since, well, before I had playlists. This album keeps the love vibe but turns it into happy, anthemic music that will blow you away.
Vice Versa is Elsten Torres’ thirteenth studio album, and it is an uplifting mix of musical influences and earnest, socially conscious messages. Released this year, the project took shape both before and after the pandemic, with Elston blending themes of resilience, creative renewal, and living with joy. It is exactly what I need at the end of a hard day or week, and I think it is exactly what America and the world need to counteract its ongoing political exhaustion.
The album features a mix of ska, Motown, rock, rap, and Latin sounds, much of it crafted with longtime collaborators Emil Temeltas and Raul Ramirez and acclaimed producer JP Gasca, and features the Los ReggaeMonks. Torres’ lead single “Vive” encapsulates the spirit of Vice Versa – seize the present and embrace life’s opportunities with joy and purpose.
Torres has pulled off the very difficult feat of a feel-good yet socially conscious album; seven songs celebrating music’s ability to marry messages of unity and friendship with danceable grooves and heartfelt lyricism. There is nothing like dancing and music to bring people together, and Torres realizes that no matter our nationality, our country, or our politics, we all speak music.
Vibrant with a modern edge, fusing vintage rock and Motown-inspired horns with reggae rhythms and energetic choruses, the album is all earworms. It makes your body move and your soul feel good
This album – and Torres himself – are emotionally authentic. Songs like “Vive” focus on living fully and not letting “the opportunities of life, love, health, and happiness slip away.” The title, Vice Versa, serves as a call to action and self-trust. Everything about the album says “Yes!”.
Vice Versa stands as a testament to Elsten Torres’ continuous growth as an artist, which has been considerable given his two Grammy and a Latin Grammy nominations, two BMI songwriting awards, and six Billboard Top Ten songs. The album’s celebration of joy, hope, and multicultural unity resonates strongly with me, and I suspect with audiences in many countries. With its combination of musical innovation and messages of connection and optimism, it moves me spiritually in ways his earlier romantic songs did not (but they are still as wonderful as they were the first day I heard them, and the final song on the album, “I’ll Protect You,” has his romantic voice in it).
I have been following Torres since 2015, and I think Vice Versa is a career milestone that brings together decades of Torres’ experience across Latin rock, rockabilly, and Cuban son genres — it is one of Torres’ most heartfelt and ambitious works to date. The tracks have catchy, rootsy arrangements, powerful lyrics, and and mix genres in ways that transcend language. But most of all, they are happy! And you will be too when you play it.
Stream on Spotify and major platforms.
Patrick O’Heffernan
One Response