Born in the rural countryside of the Dominican Republic, Joan Soriano has become known as The Duke of Bachata. Which is to say, he's rediscovering the roots of a music that was born in the poorest neighborhoods of Santo Domingo and originally called “amargue” — or “bitterness” — for its slow-moving laments about broken hearts and lonely nights. Moving beyond its roots in Cuban son and bolero ballads, over time the music has incorporated more and more dance rhythms. Today Soriano’s bachata is packed with feeling: sweet lines with ragged edges, catchy melodies over tight guitar-shapes, and a bright raspy voice that finds the joy inside bittersweet.

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