Tony Rivas

Latin Beat Magazine, June-July, 2003 by Gilbert Rivera

AFTER paying his dues as a former vocalist of the acclaimed merengue groups Zafra Negra and Fuera de Liga in New York City (two of the top contemporary merengue groups in the dance scene), Tony Rivas goes solo with his debut release Me vine a casar contigo on the Mambo Maniacs Records label. A native of the Dominican Republic, Rivas came to the United States as a child and currently makes his home in Boston, Massachusetts. The young, experienced singer initially honed his vocal and stage skills performing with the popular merengue groups of Ruby Pérez, Milly Quezada and Sandy Reyes.

In this new recording, Rivas combines romantic lyrics with dance-friendly merengue rhythms and his melodic voice to create a sensual, hip, dance-friendly sound that is becoming a favorite among dancers and listeners alike. With compositions that are not too fast or too slow to dance to (with the exception of the track Hay Amores, which he recorded both as a merengue and a ballad, and is the first single release from the CD), the new production moves well through a selection of compositions that for the most part derive from the pen of Carlos Ramos. With compositions such as La Quisiera Olvidar and Ven Junto a Mi, Rivas shines with his vocal savvy and romantic awareness of the songs. His interpretations, full of passion and honesty, continue to carry a constant non-stop swing and joyful mood about them, which makes them popular with radio and club DJs.

The selection Dame Una Oportunidad without a doubt showcases Rivas' command of the merengue genre. He is also a fine songwriter, currently gathering material for his next recording project. Arrangement credits for all the selections in the new CD go to Alex Reyna, who also handled all the keyboard and piano duties on the recording. Background vocals were handled by Miguel Vásquez, Antonio Vásquez, Carlos Pérez, Jr. and Dante Rivera.