He’s most remembered as Robi Rosa the wholesome ‘isn’t-he-so-cute’ singer of Menudo fame in the early 80s. He sang and danced into the hearts of many young hormonal females who plastered their room with his image. Like his fans, Draco, as he goes by now, has matured and grown. He’s been blissfully married to actress/video director Angela Alvarado for 16 years and the couple share two sons. When he wasn’t performing, he wrote songs under different pseudonyms for many artists. One of his personas was Ian Blake who penned former Menudo member Ricky Martin ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ , ‘Maria’ and the ‘Copa De Vida’. As his bank account grew and he won numerous awards, Draco’s phone rang constantly hoping that he could write the next artists their smash hit.

         In 2004 he released the brooding, yet romantic ‘Mad Love’. A collection of thought provoking songs that fluidly goes from gothic to rock to ballad to basically anything his creative mind thinks about. He spent a grand portion of his time touring and performing in festivals in Columbia and his native Puerto Rico. His latest work DRACO AL NATURAL is a little something to give to the fans until his next studio album. He describes the CD/DVD compilation as raw, pure and acoustic.

         Al Natural focuses on Draco’s September 2004 concert at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Areglot in Puerto Rico. The evening was special for two reasons: Hurricane Jean whipped through days before leaving the vibrant island with no electricity and two: Draco performed in the dark and his die-hard fans went crazy.

         “It was intense for us all. We had a crew and filmed in 35mm. My wife was directing and it was a little chaotic,” he recalled fondly. “There was no electricity and the show went on regardless. By the grace of God, it was spectacular to watch because a lot of it was  improvised and so off-the-cuff and it came off a wonderful night. I can imagine most of these people came from their homes in darkness with lit candles that night. It was one of those nights that we were able to capture it.”

 The sold out show continued with the aid of generators. Over 18,000 fans soaked up Draco’s energy as he sang from his previous albums, “Vagabundo”, “Songbirds & Roosters” and “Mad Love”.  His ‘perfect night’ as he refers to it was more than what he expected. You can hear the excitement in his voice as he recalls that precious time. 

“It was a hot night. We did acoustic. Usually you go to these big venues and you play electric and go to the theater and play acoustic but we did it the other way around. We went all acoustic in this huge place and it was amazing because. You got to watch it to feel what it is.”

         The DVD portion is just as explosive as the CD. The 17 track CD includes ‘Vagabundo’, ‘Brujeria’, ‘Como Me Acuerdo’ and other favorites. The DVD has concert footage of the songs, the obligatory behind the scenes peek, an in-depth interview with the man himself and five videos that include hits like ‘Mas y Mas’ and ‘Dancing in the Rain.’ It’s easy to see and hear how Draco easily reaches out to fans who look for more substance in their music.

Draco has successfully not placed himself in a box. This is something that excites him but he also knows gives labels a hell of a time promoting him. He knows that he isn’t easy to describe and he’s happy with that. With a lot of new genres popping up and familiar genres doing a makeover, Draco is the much-needed auditory cleansing experienced listener’s call for. He gives a much-needed boost to an industry that cranks out formulaic nonsense as the gospel.

          “My thrill has always been to push myself and not commit to genres or styles and just have a good time and get together with great musicians. What has happened also, the price you pay for that, people are always confused. Most folks want to know is he this, is it whiskey, is it milk, what the hell are we drinking here? What happened with Al Natural is that for the first time, there’s this unification of all these songs that come together because they are acoustic, so you really get down to the nuts and bolts of the whole thing.” 

         Through his media company Phantom Vox fans can cop Al Natural and find out what else Draco is up to. He’s currently working on a new CD which promises to be another Draco original. He holds nothing back. His fearlessness and love for music make it real.

         “That to me is life, when you feel alive. You got to let go and just through yourself into the pit and take it all in.” He does that.

www.phantomvox.com