Pitingo, a singer from Spain known for his charisma, blends the ornate copla approach of flamenco vocals with the refined phrasing of soul and R&B. His 2008 sophomore release Soulería, a set of familiar covers performed in Spanish, reached the domestic top ten. Born Antonio Álvarez Vélez in Ayamonte, Huelva, in 1981, he now lives in Madrid and made his full-length solo debut in 2006 with Pitingo con Habichuelas, issued through Universal Music Spain. That project paired him with the Habichuela family of musicians, most notably the celebrated Granada guitarist Juan Habichuela. On Soulería he again worked with Habichuela, this time joined by another acclaimed guitarist, Juan Carmona. The top-ten album included Spanish versions of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” and Julio Iglesias’ “Gwendolyn.” The 2010 follow-up Olé & Amén split evenly between soul classics associated with Donna Summer and Stevie Wonder and straight flamenco material. Primarily Cuban-influenced, his 2011 album Malecón Street further honed the smooth fusion of flamenco and soul-pop heard on the promotional track “Nosotros.”
