Vega Serves His Brand of Salsa Straight Up

Like most Puerto Rican salseros, Tony Vega runs a tight ship. There’s no flamboyant soloing in his shows. No rapping, no electronics, no experimentation with other genres. And don’t expect to see any scantily clad women climbing on stage to strut their stuff. Vega relies solely on the power of his music.

What a novel concept.

On Thursday at the Conga Room, the 43-year-old singer illustrated with exemplary clarity the elements that make Puerto Rican salsa such an appealing proposition.

Although the music coming from Colombia and New York these days is more exciting and innovative, Puerto Rico offers a super-smooth, cozy style, tight arrangements and lots of swing. It’s a conservative approach, but one that never fails to move the fans. If you like dancing, Vega gives you ample opportunity to do so.

Vega is one of the few singers who managed to flourish in the salsa romantica craze and live to tell the tale. Watering down Afro-Cuban beats in favor of saccharine pop, the romantica style was hugely popular in the ‘80s until it died a slow death in the following decade.

Vega was able to survive the fad, thanks to his thick crooning and his devotion to the spicy salsa of yesteryear. Thursday’s best moments came with an intense tribute to veteran bandleader Willie Rosario and a smoldering medley of hits by almost-cult-hero Ismael Rivera.